" THE WAY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS ." 

OR, 

EXPOSITORY LECTURES 



TEN COMMANDMENTS. 



BY 

JOHN JEFFERSON. 



" In the way of righteousness is life ; and in the path-way thereof 
there is no death."— Prov. xii. 28. 

n — 

LONDON: 
T. WARD & Co. 27, PATERNOSTER ROW, 



1835. 



. <J~4 

I 1 



A. G. HARDY, PRINTER, 
PLEASANT-ROW, ISLINGTON. 



I 



PREFACE. 



The following Lectures were delivered in 
the ordinary course of public ministry, and are 
published as nearly as practicable in the form 
in w r hich they were preached. The design 
was that of simple and practical exposition; 
and beyond this the Author has not attempted 
to proceed. A great degree of similarity un- 
avoidably characterized the reflections at the 
close of each Lecture ; these have therefore 
been suppressed, and some brief general de- 
ductions introduced at the end of the course. 
The Author takes this means respectfully to 
acknowledge the kindness of those friends,' 
who as subscribers for the book have warranted 
its publication. 



Stoke Newington, 
May 1, 1835. 



i 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Introduction 1 

The First Commandment 22 

The Second Commandment r. 42 

The Third Commandment 58 

The Fourth Commandment 78 

The Fifth Commandment 102 

The Sixth Commandment 128 

The Seventh Commandment , 146 

The Eighth Commandment 159 

The Ninth Commandment 174 

The Tenth Commandment 188 

Conclusion 196 



Lately, by the same Author. 



A TREATISE on the OFFICIAL GLORY of the 
SON of GOD. Cloth boards. 12mo. 5s. 

Also, 

A COMPANION for the CLOSET; or, The Way to 
keep the Heart right with God. 18mo. 3s. 

And, 

EMINENT USEFULNESS assured of a GLORIOUS 
REWARD ; A Sermon occasioned by the Death of the 
Rev. Robert Morrison, D.D. 8vo. Is. 



May be had of the Author, and of Ward & Co., 
27, Paternoster Row. 



THE 



INTRODUCTION, OR PREFACE, 

TO THE 

TEN COMMANDMENTS. 



That there is an infinitely glorious Being, whose 
existence is underived and eternal ; in other words, 
that there is a God, few have ever denied. For, 
however ignorant men may be of his character, 
or careless respecting his claims, the regions of 
Atheism are too cold and gloomy to be delibe- 
rately chosen as the retreat of their intelligent 
nature, either from the dissatisfaction that is felt 
with present circumstances, or the compunctions 
which are excited by present sinfulness. Equally 
general is the admission of his universal government. 
The notions which prevail amongst men as to its 
character and principles may be very erroneous, 
their sense of obligation to submit to its claims 
very defective, and their reluctance to receive the 
volume of Scripture as the authoritative guide of 
their sentiments and practice very great ; but the 
doctrine itself is too obviously implied in his neces- 
sary existence, infinite perfection, and creating 
power, not to be at once perceived as true, and 
b 



'1 



INTRODUCTION. 



felt as important. To this universal sense of the 
being and supremacy of God, retained in all ages 
and amidst all corruptions, and ever bursting out 
to view even in the polytheism and superstitions 
of the heathen, the revealed will of God every 
where appeals. It assumes the fact of his ex- 
istence ; implies the doctrine of his universal 
government ; and proceeds to make known to 
men the precepts of his will, that they may form 
their character and regulate their conduct in obe- 
dience thereto. This doctrine of moral obligation 
is implied in the very existence of the Bible, yea, 
in the fact of revelation whether written or oral ; 
its principles and expressions are the objects of 
our present inquiry. 

The introduction or preface to the Ten Com- 
mandments, is a specimen of those appeals which 
are made to men as the subjects of Divine govern- 
ment. 

" And God spake all these words, saying, I am 
the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of 
the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage" 
Exodus xx. 1,2. 

This declaration of the Divine glory was evi- 
dently designed to excite attention to the sub- 
sequent announcement of his will, and to shew 
the grounds on which the obligations of men to 
obey are founded. Our first object, therefore, 
must be to inquire into the nature and grounds of 
moral obligation. 

Moral obligation differs altogether from phy- 
sical constraint ; it implies an end to be gained, 
certain means to be emploved in order to that 
1 



INTRODUCTION. 



3 



end, and an established connexion between the 
one and the other ; and it proceeds on the assump- 
tion of supreme authority in God, and accountable 
intelligence in man. The end contemplated is the 
happiness of man in the fulfilment of the design 
of his creation ; and whether he be viewed as a 
creature or a sinner, if he would gain this end, he 
must use the means which God has appointed. 

The authority that enjoins obedience is su- 
preme ; it is that of the Governor of the universe. 
He proposes the end to be gained, and determines 
the means of its attainment. The infinite disparity 
between the creature and the Creator renders it 
impossible that they should meet on equal terms 
to discuss the propriety of an obligatory arrange- 
ment. The supremacy of Jehovah both in great- 
ness and goodness, gives Him a right to rule over 
all, which none may dispute, and the particular 
requirements of which none can alter or set aside ; 
whilst the dependence and comparative insigni- 
ficance of the creatures, render it imperative on 
them to receive with thankfulness, and obey with 
promptitude, all the intimations of his will. This 
is plainly implied in the assertion of his authority 
which introduced the Decalogue : in it he declares 
his essential, infinite, eternal glory, as having 
life in himself, and giving being to all others ; 
and he claims obedience on this ground : " I am 
Jehovah;" " I am that I am; this is my name 
for ever, and my memorial unto all generations 
" Ye shall, therefore, keep my statutes and my 
judgments ; which if a man do he shall live in 
them." — He declares his special relations to his 
b 2 



4 



INTRODUCTION. 



creatures, and on this ground further invokes at- 
tention to his claims : " I am Jehovah, thy God." 
He is the Creator of all, and appeals to his crea- 
tures ; the sustainer of all, and appeals to those 
who are wholly dependent on Him ; the Preserver 
of all, and appeals to those for whom he provides, 
and over whom he watches. " Know ye, that 
the Lord he is God ; it is he that hath made us, 
and not we ourselves ; we are his people, and the 
sheep of his pasture." " Ye shall do my judg- 
ments, and keep mine ordinances to walk therein; 
I am the Lord your God." — He declares further 
the special deliverance he had wrought for the 
Israelites, and thus teaches us that the natural 
obligation of men to love and serve God is 
strengthened by all his special interpositions for 
their welfare : " I am the Lord thy God, which 
have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of 
the house of bondage." " I have called thee by 
thy name, thou art mine." " Ye are not your 
own; ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify 
God in your bodies and spirits, which are God's." 
Nor are the revealed claims of God ever based on 
any other foundation than that of his universal and 
essential supremacy. Many motives to obedience 
may be suggested, and various reasons for the 
Divine appointments may be assigned ; but it is 
invariably assumed in the revelation of his will, 
that the declaration of that will is the immediate 
ground for man's obligation. It is enough for 
him to know that the Lord hath spoken ; from 
that moment obedience is his solemn duty. 

This obligation to immediate and universal obe- 



INTRODUCTION. 



dience, implies, however, some circumstances in 
man by which he is qualified to render the required 
obedience ; and it is plain that it implies nothing 
more than what is necessary to this end. They 
are three ; an intelligent nature, capable of un- 
derstanding and appreciating the divine proposal 
of good ; sufficient means for attaining it ; and 
freedom of choice, in adopting the line of conduct 
which is preferred. 

We have said that it implies the intelligent nature 
of the creatures to whom the will of God is made 
known. In this lies the chief and essential dif- 
ference between men and brutes, and without it 
there could plainly be no ;moral government. 
Every man is conscious in himself that he pos- 
sesses such capacity ; he knows that he is capable 
of understanding the Divine testimony as to what 
is morally good or evil ; that he is capable of 
loving purity, righteousness, truth, benevolence ; 
and that it is in the nature of these moral virtues 
to administer satisfaction to his mind, whenever 
they present themselves to his view under circum- 
stances which he approves or esteems right. Every 
man knows, further, that he is susceptible of the 
happiness which springs from the approbation of 
another, whose character, or station, or relation 
towards himself, render such approbation valuable 
in his esteem ; and consequently that he is capable 
of deriving happiness from the approbation of God, 
whenever he may be led to esteem his approbation 
of real importance. Man, therefore, is a moral 
agent ; his natural powers and faculties constitute 
him a proper subject of moral government. He 
b 3 



6 



INTRODUCTION. 



is capable of being addressed by God for his 
good, and of deriving satisfaction from that which 
pleases God and resembles him, and from the sense 
of being pleasing to him. To this moral capacity 
in man, the end is proposed ; which is, the enjoy- 
ment of God, including the delights of communion 
with him, and the communication of all needful 
supplies from his fulness. 

Sufficient means for attaining the proposed end 
are also implied in moral obligation. To require 
an end, whilst the means are out of the agent's 
reach, or physically beyond his power, is manifest 
injustice. It is indispensable that there be an 
established and unfailing connexion between the 
one and the other, so that if the means be rightly 
used, the end w T ill certainly follow ; and that these 
means be withint he grasp of the creature's power. 
Both these circumstances characterize the govern- 
ment of God. So long as man continued to obey 
the Divine commands, he enjoyed the Divine bless- 
ing, and the happiness consequent thereupon ; and 
now, whenever, as a sinner, he repents and believes 
the gospel, he obtains acceptance and eternal life. 
In each case, the belief of the Divine testimony is 
the essence of obedience ; and none will assert 
that the revelation of his will is indistinct and 
equivocal, or that the motives to obedience are 
not of the highest character and influence. 

The third thing implied is, freedom of choice, 
in adopting the line of conduct which is pre- 
ferred. The question is put to every moral sub- 
ject, whether he will seek a certain end in a 
certain connexion ; — in the case of innocent man, 



INTRODUCTION. 



7 



whether he would seek the approbation of God in 
abstinence from the forbidden tree ; in fallen 
man, whether he will seek the salvation of his 
soul by believing in Christ. If at the time when 
his decision is required, he be under restraint or 
compulsion, so that he cannot do the thing which 
he would, he is plainly not in circumstances of 
accountability ; his actions are not his own 
choice ; he is not therefore the subject of moral 
obligation. Freedom from all external restraint 
and constraint, full liberty to follow the dictates 
of his own judgment, as to what he ought to do, 
and to yield himself to the motives which are 
pressed on his attention, according to his own 
convictions of their importance and force, is the 
undoubted right of every moral subject. This is 
free agency, and this alone ; more than this, the 
creature cannot ask, as the ground of his responsi- 
bility, and less the Divine Governor could not 
bestow. 

Such a moral agent is man. He is capable of 
knowing, loving, and serving God : he is fur- 
nished with ample means of knowledge, and with 
the strongest motives to love and obedience : he 
is shown that his happiness during the whole 
period of his undying existence, is inseparable 
from his enjoyment of the Divine favour : the 
terms on which he may be blessed are distinctly 
stated to him, and urged on his serious conside- 
ration and prompt adoption : he forms his own 
opinions, and acts accordingly. It does not, 
however, follow from hence, that there may not 
be cases in which the state of the mind may be 



8 



INTRODUCTION. 



so totally wrong as to preclude the possibility of 
a right choice ; — cases in which Divine influence 
itself may be requisite to prepare the mind to 
choose rightly ; that is, to make such a choice as 
accords with the Divine estimate of what is good, 
and displays obedience to his revealed will. This 
is the fact with fallen man. His state of mind is 
evil ; all his decisions, under its influence, are 
evil too ; were it otherwise, his free agency would 
be destroyed; and, hence it is, that no motives 
to obey God avail to alter his conduct, till God 
has created in him " a new heart," and formed 
within him " a right spirit but his moral obli- 
gation remains the same. His nature is depraved, 
and therefore gives a depraved character to all 
his volitions and acts ; but it is free, and is there- 
fore accountable in all things. To suppose that a 
right state of mind is necessary to moral obliga- 
tion, is to suppose that intelligent creatures may 
be wrong, and do wrong, without being guilty ; — 
that sin renders the sinner independent of his 
Maker, and constitutes him a being who may 
do with impunity whatever he pleases ; yea, it 
is to deny the existence of any such thing as 
moral rectitude, in the abstract, to make God the 
author of moral evil, and to open the gates of 
libertinism, under the pretext of purity and truth. 

The grounds of moral obligation are essential. 
If there are creatures who are capable of knowing 
and enjoying God, and if they have freedom of 
choice, and sufficiency of means, they are, by the 
very circumstance of their existence, moral agents ; 
and, as God is their creator, He is himself morally 



INTRODUCTION. 



9 



bound to direct their efforts, and prescribe their 
obedience. On the same principle it follows, 
that the grounds of moral obligation are un- 
changeable. They arise out of the nature of God 
and of the creatures, and the relations necessarily 
subsisting between them : they cannot be subject 
to any change ; nothing can alter their charac- 
ter ; not even the will of God — how much less the 
sin of man ! And, hence it follows, that they are 
indestructible. God must cease to be God, or the 
nature of the creatures cease to exhibit the proper- 
ties of free intelligence, ere the moral obligations 
subsisting between them can be annulled. 

The character of the obedience which is re- 
quired, will further elucidate this subject. It is 
moral obedience, not the mere indulgence of the 
instinctive propulsions of animal nature, but the 
intelligent, conscientious, voluntary homage of 
the soul to the supreme authority, and perfect 
excellence of God. The perfection of his charac- 
ter is sufficient security for the perfection of his 
law, and the supremacy of his authority binds us to 
universal, cheerful, prompt, entire, and perpetual 
obedience. Whatever he enjoins is right ; right 
in itself, and right in its aspect and bearing on 
our consistency and happiness. And nothing 
short of the decided preference of his will above 
every thing else, and the complete and constant 
expression of that preference, under all circum- 
stances, and in every relation, can meet his 
claims, who is the Father of spirits, and the 
fountain of life. These remarks apply equally to 
all the successive dispensations of God's moral 



10 



INTRODUCTION. 



government ; to the law and to the Gospel ; to 
man as a creature and holy, and to man as a sin- 
ner and depraved ; — " the duty which God re- 
quires of man is, obedience to his revealed will/' 
Accordingly, if we examine the Divine revelation 
on this point, we shall find that the obedience of 
man has always been required on precisely the 
same grounds. The same authority which bound 
Adam, in innocence, to love and serve God, re- 
quires his obedience when fallen ; directs the 
services of the patriarchs ; enjoins the duty of 
Noah, as the father of the new world ; appoints 
the religion of the Israelites; and announces the 
precepts of the Gospel. To one and all, it is said, 
"Be ye holy, for I am holy/' 

The code of precepts, whether they be many or 
few, which, irrespective of all his changing cir- 
cumstances, declare the duty of man, as a moral 
agent, to God the moral Governor, is called, 
The Moral Law. The sum of that law is, 
" Love/' which term must be understood to ex- 
press all that is implied in a right state of mind, 
and a right line of conduct towards God, and 
towards all his creatures. As a principle, includ- 
ing sinless rectitude of disposition, and operating 
to produce sinless rectitude of conduct; it existed 
in the first man, and showed " the work of the 
law written in his heart." He was " created in 
knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness;" 
to him it was not necessary to say, " Thou shait 
love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and thy 
neighbour as thyself ; " he felt the obligation, and 
fulfilled it. The case of fallen men is altogether 



INTRODUCTION. 



11 



different. In them the principle of Love is pros- 
trated, and reduced beneath the rule of a haughty 
selfishness, which neither ' 'fears God, nor regards 
man/' Ignorance has succeeded to knowledge, 
and infidelity to faith. " There is none righteous, 
no not one." Their very mind and conscience 
are defiled. To men, in their fallen state, there- 
fore, it became necessary to present the law anew ; 
and this, not merely in its general principle, but 
in its varied detail, as applied to the diversified 
circumstances of men, putting a check upon their 
sinful propensities, and pointing out their several 
obligations and duties. All the precepts of Divine 
revelation, may be said to be included in that 
Law, which declares the duty of man towards 
God, and his fellow-men. If any exception to 
this general statement appear to be necessary in 
reference to those ceremonial and positive pre- 
cepts which, under the successive dispensations 
of the Divine government, have served to direct 
the piety and mutual intercourse of men, there is 
less of reality in the exception, than at first sight 
may be supposed. The sacrificial and ceremonial 
worship of the Old Testament, illustrated the 
essential purity and claims of the Divine law ; the 
municipal enactments of Judaism, were so many 
ramifications of the original law of love, adapted 
to the peculiar circumstances in which, for a sea- 
son, that people were placed; the more spiritual 
and searching requirements of the New Testa- 
ment, only bring out more fully the perfection and 
benevolence of the law of God ; and the spirit of 
acceptable obedience, in all these cases, is one and 



12 



INTRODUCTION. 



the same. In mercy to our infirmities, the Bible 
contains some short and comprehensive summa- 
ries of the moral law, under the particulars of 
which, all the precepts of revelation may be seve- 
rally arranged ; and which, by their brevity, and 
general character, are easily held in recollection, 
and rendered practically available for the various 
ends of religion and morals. Of these, " The 
Ten Commandments " delivered on Mount Sinai, 
and subsequently written by the finger of God on 
two tables of stone, are properly viewed as the 
most important. That they are a summary of 
the moral obligations which were originally laid 
upon man, is not denied ; but it is sometimes 
argued that this repetition of the Moral Law had 
respect to the Jews only, — that it made a part of 
the Mosaic economy, and was abrogated along 
with it, — and that believers, under the New Testa- 
ment dispensation, are freed from all obligation 
to obey it. By these parties, all attempts to en- 
force the law are stigmatised as derogatory to 
the glory of Divine grace, in human salvation, 
and as subversive of the doctrine of justification 
by faith. This renders it necessary, at the com- 
mencement of a series of expository discourses on 
the Moral Law, to attempt the proof of its perma- 
nent authority, as expressed in the summary of 
Sinai, or, in other words, to show that it is an 
essential part of the Christian religion. 

A distinction is to be made between the law 
as a covenant, and as a rule of life. It was the 
basis of that dispensation under which man was 
placed at the beginning, and of which the trees of 



INTRODUCTION. 



13 



knowledge and of life were the emblematical signs 
and seals. " Moses describeth the righteousness 
which is of the law, that the man which doeth 
those things shall live by them." The covenant 
being once broken, cannot be repaired ; " therefore 
by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be 
justified in God's sight." But as a rule of life, the 
Moral Law is essentially, and therefore eternally 
binding, and may be often transgressed. It is in 
this latter sense that we assert its perpetual force. 
The abrogation of the law, as a covenant, must 
not, however, be taken too absolutely. Its terms 
of life have not in themselves ceased to be impor- 
tant, nor is their obligation destroyed, although 
they are no longer practically availing; the weak- 
ness is not in the law, but in the creatures who 
were placed under it. All men, as the natural 
posterity of Adam, their federal head, are born 
under the law ; the condemnation of its just 
sentence is upon them : and whilst it may be 
mercifully true, in fact, that no man perishes ever- 
lastingly on account of Adam's sin alone, it is 
equally true that the consequences of his sin are 
entailed upon all his posterity; and that whilst 
they practically reject the covenant of mercy, they 
deliberately prefer to retain their union with the 
covenant of works, and remain under its sentence, 
and exposed to its curse. Besides, our guilty 
participation in the sin of Adam by our individual 
repetition of it, in spirit, if not in act, renders 
further necessary the provision of another righte- 
ousness, which is ready to be imparted to every 
one that believeth. — Attention is invited to the 



c 



14 



INTRODUCTION. 



following circumstances, as illustrating and prov- 
ing the perpetual and changeless obligation of the 
Moral Law. 

The necessity of the case implies that there is 
such an immutable law as that of which we speak. 
There is such a thing as holiness, such a thing as 
truth in the abstract. They cannot be ideal crea- 
tions, or the result of a combination of fortuitous 
circumstances. Nor can it admit of a question, 
that the moral character of God is the perfection 
of these properties ; it must be, therefore, that 
truth and holiness are in themselves unchange- 
able. Unless then, it can be shewn to be a 
matter of indifference, whether men love God 
or hate him, oppose or resemble him, it must be 
admitted that what is once binding on them as 
moral excellence, is always so ; and that if the 
Ten Commandments did ever delineate the moral 
conformity to God, which is the duty and privilege 
of men, they do still, and must ever delineate that 
conformity. 

The perfection of the Divine government implies 
the permanent authority of the Moral Law. The 
changing circumstances of the creatures, may call 
for alterations in what is merely positive in the 
intimations of Divine authority. Sin may have 
given a new aspect to the relations of men towards 
God, and have called for the adoption of new 
modes of government in those relations ; but the 
relations themselves are unchangeable, and so are 
the principles of the government which is founded 
on them. If the moral claims of God on his 
creatures are now relaxed, it follows that they 



INTRODUCTION. 



15 



were originally too strict ; and what is this but 
to charge God with injustice ? If they are now 
changed in some respects, it follows that they may 
afterwards be changed in others, till not a vestige 
of the original law remain ; and what is this 
again but to charge the government of God with 
imperfection ? Yea, if the moral law have ceased 
to be the rule of life, then is there no such thing 
as unity in the government of God, and this 
would go far to impugn the essential unity of his 
nature. 

The declared perfection of the law itself involves 
the same conclusion. " The law of the Lord 
is perfect, converting the soul — then, there is 
neither redundancy nor deficiency ; it could not 
prescribe more, it cannot require less ; it is com- 
plete as a whole, and unalterable in its parts. It 
is not dependent on adventitious circumstances ; 
it must, therefore, be permanent in its obligations. 
It is an exact reflection of the perfect character 
of God, and must therefore be unchanging in its 
requirements. Whilst God is the centre of all 
excellence, and the fountain of all being, it must 
remain the duty of every intelligent creature to 
love him above all. 

The design of God in separating the Israelites 
from all other people was, by them, to preserve 
in the world the knowledge of himself, and to 
perpetuate amongst men an example of obedience 
to his authority. The language in which this 
design is declared deserves notice in the present 
connexion : %< Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God 
is one Lord : and thou shalt love the Lord thy 
c 2 



16 



INTRODUCTION. 



God, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, 
and with all thy might. " 1 c Thou art an holy people 
unto the Lord thy God : the Lord thy God hath 
chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, 
above all people that are upon the face of the earth. 
Know, therefore, that the Lord thy God, he is God, 
the faithful God, who keepeth covenant and mercy 
with them that love him, and keep his command- 
ments to a thousand generations; and repayeth 
them that hate him to their face, to destroy them : 
he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he 
will repay him to his face. Thou shalt, there- 
fore, keep the commandments, and the statutes, 
and the judgments, which I command thee this 
day, to do them/' Deut. vi. 4, 5 ; vii. 6. 9. 11 ; 
see also x. 12, 13. 20 — 22 ; xi. 1, et multis aliis. 
Compare with this language, that in which New 
Testament believers are addressed. " But ye 
are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an 
holy nation, a peculiar people ; that ye should 
shew forth the praises of him w T ho hath called 
you out of darkness into his marvellous light; 
which in time past were not a people, but are 
now the people of God ; which had not obtained 
mercy, but now have obtained mercy." " Ye are 
no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow- 
citizens with the saints, and of the household of 
God; and are built upon the foundation of the 
apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being 
the chief corner-stone ; in whom all the building, 
fitly framed together, groweth into an holy temple 
in the Lord ; in whom, ye also are builded to- 
gether for an habitation of God through the Spirit." 



INTRODUCTION. 



17 



1 Pet. ii. 9, 10; Eph. ii. 19. 22. The believing 
Jews then under the Old Testament, and the 
believers of all nations under the Gospel, are one 
church, and the design of their separation is the 
same : must not the moral obligations be the same 
under which they mutually lie ? 

Besides these general principles, it is important 
to observe that the delivery of the Ten Command- 
ments on Mount Sinai, was such as proves that 
they were not a part of the peculiar economy of 
Moses. The most solemn preparation was made 
for it ; it was accompanied with the most awful 
pomp and grandeur ; it was audible as if by the 
voice of God himself ; and a solemn pause ensued ; 
— "he added no more." The whole was then written 
on two tables of stone, as by the finger of God, 
and commanded to be deposited in the ark. At 
the introduction of a dispensation which was to 
break in upon the universal apostacy of the world, 
it was natural and highly important to save from 
oblivion the original law of our being, and solemnly 
to claim attention for it ; and this was done in 
such a way as to detach it from the typical and 
changing economy which was to follow. " These 
words the Lord spake unto all the assembly on the 
mount, out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and 
of the thick darkness, with a great voice : and 
he added no more. And he wrote them upon 
two tables of stone, and delivered them unto 
Moses. " 

The design of the Mediation of Jesus, and the 
effect of the Spirit's work on the heart, may both 
be adduced in further confirmation of this point, 
c 3 



18 



INTRODUCTION. 



Speaking of the design of his Mediation, our Lord 
says, " Think not that I am come to destroy the 
Law, or the Prophets : I am not come to destroy 
but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, till 
heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall 
in nowise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 
"Whosoever, therefore, shall break one of these 
least commandments, and shall teach men so, he 
shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven : 
but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same 
shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 
For I say unto you, that except your righteousness 
shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and 
Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into thekingdom 
of heaven. " Christ here declares that he came to 
fulfil (complete) the law. In him the design of the 
ceremonial law was answered, and its end gained, 
and by its reference to him its importance is 
illustrated and verified. The moral law was 
obeyed by him in all its precepts as a rule of life, 
and its penalty as a covenant of works was en- 
dured by him ; in both which he acknowledged 
its supreme and perpetual authority. Nor is it 
indistinctly intimated in this passage, that a due 
regard to " these commandments,'' would con- 
stitute an essential feature of holy obedience in 
" the kingdom of heaven." Accordingly, when 
the effect of the Spirit's work on the heart, is 
traced in its practical influence, it is shewn to 
produce the righteousness required by the law. 
" There is, therefore, now no condemnation to 
them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after 
the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of 



INTRODUCTION. 



19 



the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me 
free from the law of sin and death." Believers 
are delivered from the curse and condemnation 
of the broken covenant ; but mark what follows, 
and learn that they are still bound by the precepts 
of the law as a rule of life ; " For what the law 
could not do in that it was weak through the 
flesh, God sending his own Son, in the likeness 
of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the 
flesh : that the righteousness of the law might be 
fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but 
after the Spirit.' ' None will argue that the cere- 
monial law is here meant ; all agree that this is 
abolished; what other law can be meant then, 
but the law of the Ten Commandments given on 
Mount Sinai ? 

Again ; the general declarations of Scripture 
respecting the law, imply its permanent and 
universal authority. Looking onward to gospel 
times, the prophet says, ' ' Behold, the days come, 
saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant 
with the house of Israel, and with the house of 
Judah. After those days, saith the Lord, I will 
put my law in their inward parts, and write 
it in their hearts ; and I will be their God, and 
they shall be my people." This passage is quoted 
in the New Testament as descriptive of the cove- 
nant made with believers whose sins are forgiven 
them for Christ's sake, Heb. viii. 8 — 12 ; and the 
apostle urging faith in the righteousness of Jesus, 
asks "Do we then make void the law through 
faith ? By no means ; for we establish the law." 
Yea, the several precepts of the Decalogue are 



20 



INTRODUCTION. 



repeated in the New Testament, and obedience to 
them is urged by motives drawn from the grace 
and glory of Christianity itself. Their spirituality 
and extent are more clearly shewn ; and conformity 
to them is invariably described as the consistency 
of Christian holiness ; and thus they are certainly 
proved to be a constituent part of the Christian 
dispensation. Nor is the practical utility of this 
summary diminished. Still the law is a " school- 
master to bring us to Christ/ ' and a rule of 
conduct to direct us to glorify him. It is adapted 
to all ages and all places, and is binding on the 
whole family of man. 

It being then sufficiently obvious that the Ten 
Commandments, as a summary of the moral law, 
are of perpetual force, it is desirable to state the 
principles on which the interpretation of them 
should proceed. 

I. It must always be remembered that " the 
law is spiritual." The sermon on the mount teaches 
us that it reaches to the " thoughts and intents 
of the heart that it has to do with words as 
well as acts, with motives as well as professions, 
with affections and passions, as well as with out- 
ward appearances. 

II. In affirmative precepts, negatives are im- 
plied ; and the contrary. When the due observ- 
ance of the Sabbath is required, all desecration of 
the day is forbidden ; and when murder is prohi- 
bited, the proper care of life is enjoined. 

III. The general precepts of the law include 
every thing of the same kind. Obedience to 
parents is put for a due regard to relative duties 



INTRODUCTION. 



21 



in general ; and adultery for every species of un- 
cleanness and impurity. 

IV. The principle of a command being ascer- 
tained, all divine light is to be thrown upon it, 
and the New Testament brought in to elucidate 
the precepts of the Old. 

V. The end of the law is always to be kept in 
view; this is " Charity, out of a pure heart, and 
of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned. " 

If, then, our connexion with the law is thus 
essential and unchangeable, and its precepts are 
so spiritual and comprehensive, let us labour to 
bring to the study of it a humble and teachable 
spirit ; let us receive its instructions with ready 
submission, and prepare ourselves to obey its 
commands with prompt and cheerful devotedness. 
Above all, let us implore the teaching of the 
Holy Spirit, to " guide us into all truth," and to 
incline us to all obedience. 



THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 



Exodus xx. 3. 
" Thou shalt have no other gods before me." 

The doctrine which is implied in this precept, and 
upon which it is founded, is that of the Divine 
Unity. There is but one being who fully answers 
to the just definition of God ; and " Jehovah our 
God, is one Lord." There may be, and the Bible 
teaches us that there are, real distinctions of 
attributes and personalities in his nature, yet there 
is the most perfect unity. A variety of considera- 
tions may be adduced in proof of the unity of 
God. There is in all nature a oneness of design, 
which proclaims the unity of the Great First 
Cause ; and if in the transpiring events of this 
world's history, there arise phenomena of difficult 
interpretation, there are none which may not be 
shown to comport with the doctrine of one creat- 
ing and over-ruling power. — It is impossible that 
there should be more than one infinite being, or 
God. If there were more, they must be either 
equal or unequal ; if equal, none of them could be 
supreme and independent, and we may conceive of 



THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 



23 



a being who should possess the united excellences 
of them all, who would be God : if unequal, the 
greatest alone is God. If there were many gods, 
they might will different, and even opposite 
things ; then all could not have their will, which 
is contrary to the nature of God. The most en- 
lightened among the heathen perceived and ad- 
mitted that there is but one God; and in the 
Bible, where the Great Infinite Spirit has re- 
vealed his name, and declared his g^ry, nothing 
is more frequently asserted than his unity. There 
are, indeed, distinctions recognised as existing in 
the Divine Being, and these essential and per- 
sonal. There are Three which bear record in 
heaven, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. 
We do not understand, and God has not revealed 
to us, the nature of these distinctions ; nor is it 
possible for us to explain how this peculiarity con- 
sists with his essential unity. But revelation super- 
sedes philosophy, and silences reason. " Thus it is 
written ;" and our duty is to believe what " is 
written/' and wait for further disclosures till time 
shall be lost in eternity. " Hear, O Israel, Jeho- 
vah our God is one Lord." " There is one God, 
and there is none other but he." "See now," 
(saith he,) " that I, even I am he, and there is 
no god with me ; I kill, and I make alive ; I 
wound, and I heal, neither is there any that can 
deliver out of my hand ; for I lift up my hand to 
heaven, and say, I live for ever." The first com- 
mandment calls upon us to recognise, and prac- 
tically regard the fact of his essential unity : 
" Thou shall have no others gods before me." 



24 



THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 



I. The first thing to be set forth is, the duty 
which is enjoined. 

This is a due regard to the fact, that there is 
but one God. This truth, duly considered, is vast 
and overwhelming. There are many creatures 
scattered over the face of this earth ; there are 
many grades of intelligence amongst men ; there 
are other orders and classes of holy beings, rising 
in different degrees of intellectual and moral emi- 
nence, peopling the wide universe ; but there is 
only one God. To realize this truth, we must 
reflect on what God is. " God is a Spirit, infinite, 
eternal, and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, 
power, holiness justice, goodness, and truth/' 
There is one such being, and there is not another. 
The present inquiry is, What is implied in a 
proper regard to this glorious being ? To this we 
reply : — 

1. Acquaintance with Him, as the only true 
God. That which we are to seek to know is, the 
existence of God, that he is; for "he that 
cometh to God must believe that he is and the 
essence of God, what he is ; for otherwise we 
may incur the guilt of worshipping an unknown 
God. To know God perfectly, does not, indeed, 
lie within the reach of our capacity; " such know- 
ledge is too wonderful for us ; it is high, we 
cannot attain unto it." But a true knowledge of 
Him may be attained, and this commandment 
binds us to seek after it ; for how can we rightly 
regard his claims, unless we first obtain the know- 
ledge of himself? 

The existence of God is learned from his works. 



THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 25 

" The invisible things of God, even his eternal 
power and Godhead, from the creation of the 
world, are clearly seen, being understood by the 
things that are made." It is commanded us to 
" stand still, and consider the wondrous works of 
God;" and they are pronounced guilty who " re-, 
gard not the works of the Lord, nor consider 
the operations of his hands." From the devout 
contemplation then, of the efforts of creating 
power, and wisdom, and goodness, which the 
universe presents, we are to learn the fact of the 
Divine existence, and to derive corresponding im- 
pressions of his unsearchable greatness, his in- 
finite excellence, and his boundless benevolence. 

Further acquaintance with God is to be derived 
from the observance of his general government of 
the creatures which he has made. " These all 
wait upon him, and he giveth them their meat in 
due season." The revolutions of nature ; and 
the character of his dispensations towards intelli- 
gent beings, both holy and unholy, illustrate the 
properties of his being, and unfold the greatness 
of his glory. And, thus saith the Lord, " Whoso 
is wise, and will observe these things, even he 
shall understand the loving- kindness of the 
Lord." 

The volume of Scripture presents still more 
ample and sufficient means for obtaining a know- 
ledge of God. In it, he asserts his spirituality, 
his unity, his supremacy; — in it, he unfolds the 
excellences which compose his character, and 
which constitute the basis of his claims ; — in it, he 
refers to the works which he has performed, and 

D 



26 



THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 



to the government which he executes, as furnish- 
ing the most undeniable evidence of his existence, 
and innumerable illustrations of his power and 
wisdom, his holiness and justice, his goodness 
and truth. In this volume, he challenges the 
gods of the nations to do such works as he has 
done, and calls upon the people who know his 
name, as witnesses of his glory : " Let all the 
nations be gathered together, and let the people 
be assembled ; who among them can declare this, 
and show us former things ? let them bring forth 
their witnesses, that they may be justified; or, 
let them hear, and say, It is truth. Ye are my 
witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servants whom 
I have chosen, that ye may know and believe me, 
and understand that I am he ; before me there 
was no god formed, neither shall there be after 
me." To the diligent use of this means of Divine 
knowledge, we are repeatedly exhorted in the 
book itself ; — " Seek ye out of the book of the 
Lord, and read." " Search the Scriptures ; for 
in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they 
are they which testify of me." 

But we have a still more impressive and touch- 
ing medium of the knowledge of God, in the per- 
son and history of the Lord Jesus Christ. In 
the four lives of Jesus with which we are fur- 
nished, we trace the footsteps of God upon the 
earth. We see operating among us, and in cir- 
cumstances that we can understand, the great 
power and wisdom of Him who rules over all, 
We behold, in the character of Christ, a perfect 
exhibition of infinite purity and rectitude; and, 



THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 



27 



in his unremitting aim to do good, a full expres- 
sion of the matchless benevolence of Jehovah. 
Yea, in the gracious design of his Advent, in the 
righteousness he wrought out, and the sacrifice 
he offered, and in the bearing of the whole on 
the moral government of God and the eternal 
destinies of men, we read all his glory, to whom 
belong the greatness, and the power, and the 
dominion. To Jesus, our attention is pointed, 
as " God manifest in the flesh ;" and we have 
" the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, 
in the face of Jesus Christ.' ' 

The first commandment requires such use of 
these means of Divine knowledge as may issue in 
the attainment of it. Our pursuit of it must be 
diligent, for the object is unspeakably vast ; 
hearty, for the importance is infinite ; patient, 
for the difficulties are many ; persevering, for the 
theme is inexhaustible, and the knowledge of 
progressive increase ; — it must be humble, for the 
greatness of Jehovah should be approached and 
viewed with reverence ; and it should be con- 
ducted in the spirit of prayer, that God would 
deign to aid and succeed our efforts. Our first 
great business should be to know God. Our 
capacity of knowing Him, the relations in which 
we necessarily stand to Him, and the immense 
advantages which must result from right know- 
ledge of Him, should impel us to seek acquaint- 
ance with Him; whilst the gracious promises of 
his word encourage us to persevere, " increas- 
ing'' daily "in the knowledge of God." 



28 



THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 



2. Habitual recognition of his presence, as the 
only true God, is also required by this precept. 

With Him, as the only true God, we have un- 
ceasingly to do ; nor is there any escape from his 
presence ; wherever we are, and whatever we do, 
he is nigh unto us. There is not a single object 
of nature upon which we can look, or a single 
sound to which we can listen, or a single move- 
ment of our persons, or operation of our minds, 
which is not calculated to remind us of God. 
His incomprehensible greatness might well awe 
us into unceasing thought of Him ; and his inef- 
fable goodness is equally adapted to render the 
recollection of Him interesting and delightful. 
To forget Him, is to sin against Him ; it is to 
fail of that proper regard which is due to Him, 
and which the first commandment requires of us. 
Obedience to this command implies such devout 
recognition of his presence, as is expressed by 
David, when he says, " O Lord, thou hast 
searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my 
downsitting, and mine uprising ; thou under- 
standest my thought afar off. Thou compassest 
my path, and my lying down, and art acquainted 
with all my ways. For there is not a word in 
my tongue, but lo, O Lord, thou knowest it 
altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and be- 
fore, and laid thine hand upon me. Such know- 
ledge is too wonderful for me ; it is high, I 
cannot attain unto it. How precious are the 
thoughts of thee unto me, O God ! how great is 
the sum of them ! If I should count them, they 



THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 



29 



are more in number than the sand; when I 
awake, I am still with thee." " I have set the 
Lord always before me." 

3. A proper regard to the Unity of God im- 
plies further, the cultivation and exercise of 
suitable affections towards Him, as the only true 
God. 

The knowledge of God ought to lead to a cor- 
dial and immediate appropriation of Him as our 
God. He has an interest in us as his creatures, 
and we should seek an interest in Him as our 
God. Our hearts should at once become his 
throne, and his only ; and we should seek all 
satisfaction in Him, and in Him alone. Thus 
Israel is said to "have avouched the Lord to be 
their God;" and we are exhorted to "join our- 
selves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant which 
shall not be broken." 

We must love him, with that high regard of which 
his excellence is worthy, and which his kindness 
to us so imperiously demands. " Thou shalt love 
the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with 
all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all 
thy strength." Not reluctantly, but cheerfully ; 
not partially, having respect to certain properties 
of his character only, but wholly as being just as 
well as merciful, and holy as well as kind. We 
must love him so as to delight in him, to rejoice 
in him, to pant for communion with him, to 
desire his favour above all other things : — we 
must love him so as to be prepared to part with 
all for him ; above father and mother, sister and 
brother, wife and children, houses and lands, 
d 3 



30 THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 

even as he who said, 1 ' Whom have I in heaven 
but thee ; and there is none upon earth that I 
desire beside thee." 

Again ; we must repose in him the confidence 
which his perfection warrants us to exercise. 
" Trust in him at all times, ye people." Confidence 
the most unlimited should be reposed in him ; 
for he is infinitely wise, and powerful, and merciful, 
both able and willing to succour us. Confidence 
under all the circumstances in which we are 
placed ; even when we walk in darkness, and see 
no light, we must trust in the Lord, and stay our- 
selves upon our God, for he knoweth the way 
that we take, and performeth only the thing 
which is appointed for us. Trust in the Lord 
wholly, " being careful for nothing ; but in every 
thing by prayer and supplication with thanks- 
giving, make known your requests unto God." 
Obedience to the command in this respect is 
expressed by Habakkuk : " Although the fig-tree 
shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the 
vines ; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the 
fields shall yield no meat ; the flock shall be cut 
off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in 
the stalls. Yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will 
joy in the God of my salvation." 

His supreme and exclusive claims further re- 
quire, zeal for his glory. Zeal, in the performance 
of all holy duties ; in our attachment and adherence 
to his truth, and his ways ; and in asserting his 
claims and glory amongst men. Not deterred 
from the practice of righteousness, by either hopes 
or fears ; not wronging any good cause either by 



THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 



31 



cowardice or indiscretion ; not resting ourselves 
in a mere nominal identity with his interests in 
the world; we are to be "valiant for the truth," 
* ■ fervent in spirit, serving the Lord," " zealously 
affected always in a good thing," and not under 
any circumstances " ashamed of the Gospel of 
Christ." The required obedience is that of Christ, 
who could say, " My meat is to do the will of 
him that sent me, and to finish his work." 

God should be glorified, too, in the grateful ac- 
knowledgment of his mercies. " He is the author of 
all good, and his tender mercies are over all his 
works." "It is of the Lord's, mercies that we 
are not consumed." How gratefully then should 
we acknowledge his unnumbered benefits : " Bless 
the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, 
bless his holy name ! Bless the Lord, O my soul, 
and forget not all his benefits, who forgiveth all 
thine iniquities ; who healeth all thy diseases ; 
who redeemeth thy life from destruction ; who 
crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender 
mercies ; who satisfieth thy mouth with good 
things, so that thy youth is renewed like the 
eagle's." 

Patient submission to his will is also implied 
in his claims as the one supreme God. Thus 
it is commanded, " Submit yourselves therefore 
to God;" "Humble yourselves in the sight of 
the Lord;" "Be patient in tribulation;" "Be 
still and know that T am God." This is our 
reasonable service, and the just claim of his 
undivided glory : " Wherefore should a living man 



32 



THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 



complain, a man for the punishment of his sins ?" 
His will is supreme authority, and it is holy, just 
and good. 

Penitence on account of our sins, and acquies- 
cence in the appointed terms of pardon and 
life, though belonging to another economy, are 
properly viewed as acts of obedience to this com- 
mand. It is the supremacy of Jehovah which 
gives to the New Testament precepts of re- 
pentance and faith, their importance and binding 
force; and a due sense of his claims, as the one God 
is the spirit of obedience to them. He who feels 
that God has a right to his obedience, and that 
he is guilty in not having rendered to him the 
obedience which is his due, will abase himself at 
his throne, will repent in dust and ashes, and 
will stand prepared to submit to any terms of 
mercy which he may be pleased to appoint ; and 
when it is announced to him, " God so loved the 
world that he gave his only begotten Son, that 
whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, 
but have everlasting life ;" " He that believeth 
on the Son hath everlasting life ; but he that 
believeth not the Son shall not see life ;" the 
disposition which rightly regards the claims of 
the one God, will induce him at once to believe 
the testimony, and embrace the Saviour. The 
impenitent and unbelieving sinner under the gospel 
cannot escape the charge of transgressing the first 
commandment of the law in the very spirit of his 
impenitence and unbelief. 

4. It is not enough, however, that right affec- 



THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 



33 



tions towards God exist in the heart ; they must 
be expressed in devotedness to the service of Je- 
hovah, as the only true God. 

This devotedness first of all implies, the open 
acknowledgment of the true God. Under circum- 
stances where a plurality of gods are adored, the 
importance of such acknowledgment is at once appa- 
rent. In such circumstances, the patriarchs were 
almost always found ; and the Israelites very often. 
In their own land indeed, the very circumstances 
were guilty ; but the individual exposure to their 
insidious and seducing influence was often inno- 
cent, and always required the open decision of 
which we speak . During the captivity in Babylon, 
there were some splendid instances of obedience 
to this command, in the open acknowledgment of 
the true God. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, 
ventured on the fiery furnace, and Daniel on the 
lions' den, rather than renounce, or fail to acknow- 
ledge the God of Israel. The early Christians were 
perpetually placed in situations which required 
regard to this precept. Idol temples were in 
every place . Hence the apostle forbids the Corinth- 
ians to be found there, and prohibits the eating 
of meats offered to idols. Paul and Barnabas, on 
one occasion, found it necessary to protect them- 
selves against the idolatry of the people, who 
called Barnabas, Jupiter, and Paul, Mercarius, 
and would have done sacrifice unto them. In 
lands but partly evangelized, the same necessity 
still exists, and the same injunctions are strictly 
binding. And even where Christianity has gained 
for itself the ascendancy, open attention to the 



34 



THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 



will of God, and identity with his cause, must ex- 
press obedience to this command. They who 
admit his claims in theory only, practically deny 
him. 4 4 The fool hath said in his heart, there is 
no God, even he who is corrupt, and a doer of 
abominable works, and who doeth not good/' 

This devotedness requires that we direct all our 
efforts to his glory as their end ; for, exactly in 
proportion that we pursue another object, we 
recognise another authority than his, and are 
guilty of idolatry in his sight. The command is, 
" Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily as to the 
Lord, and not to men." " Whether, therefore, 
ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to 
the glory of God." 

In all things we must be supremely directed 
by the will of God. His sole and supreme au- 
thority requires that we unhesitatingly and cheer- 
fully obey all his appointments ; that we ac- 
quiesce, without a murmur, in the arrangements 
of his government, as to the general efforts of our 
lives, the sphere of our movement, the character 
of our daily occupation, and the degree of our 
worldly comfort; that we do not go before, but 
always and immediately follow the leadings of 
his providence, consulting not our own will, but 
asking continually what the Lord would have us 
to do ; and that, in religious services, we take the 
written word for our only rule, adding nothing, 
altering nothing, diminishing nothing. A due 
regard to the one God is that which can say, 
M I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things 
to be right/' 



THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 



35 



Further ; we must devote ourselves wholly to 
his will ; keeping back nothing from Him ; giving 
Him our whole heart ; consecrating to Him all 
our powers, and cheerfully acknowledging his 
right over all that we possess : he is the one 
God, and is therefore the source, and proprietor 
of all things. We must do this at all times, 
under all circumstances, and to the end of life ; 
neither forsaking nor turning aside from his ways, 
for this were to deny his claims and Godhead : 
" He is the same yesterday, to-day, and for 
ever." All this must be done in dependence on 
his gracious and promised aid ; all our springs 
are in Him, and the recognition of our depend- 
ence and of his fulness is as necessary to our 
safety as to his glory. 

II. As " the first commandment requires us to 
know and acknowledge God to be the only true 
God, and our God, and to worship and glorify 
Him accordingly it must be understood to for- 
bid " the denying, or not worshipping and glori- 
fying, the true God, as God, and our God ; and 
the giving that worship and glory to any other, 
which is due to Him alone." 

1 . It forbids Atheism ; or the having of no 
God. 

The atheism that denies the existence of God, 
has been so rare, and is so unnatural, that the 
sincerity of its professions has always been ques- 
tioned. It need scarcely be said that the profes- 
sion of it is itself a transgression of this com- 
mand. But there is a practical atheism, a living 
"without God in the world,'' against which it 



36 



THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 



is equally directed. No man can deny the supreme 
glory and claims of God, or refuse to acknowledge 
his supremacy, and submit to his will, without 
being practically guilty of atheism. To deny the 
doctrine of his providential care and government, 
and to neglect those religious ordinances in which 
he claims to be acknowledged and glorified, is 
also to live without God. Yea, he is an atheist, 
and condemned by this precept, who does not, in 
his heart, acknowledge God as the source of his 
being, the preserver of his life, the spring of his 
comforts, the disposer of his circumstances, and 
the lord of his actions. 

2. It forbids Polytheism ; or the worshipping 
of many gods. 

This takes place among the heathen, who, in 
ignorance of the one true God, acknowledge 
" gods many," and offer to them licentious and 
cruel service. This took place amongst the Jews, 
who blended with an outward regard to the wor- 
ship of Jehovah, the idolatrous worship of false 
gods. This takes place in the Church of Rome, 
which, whilst it acknowledges Jehovah, worships 
also saints, and angels, the Virgin Mary, the 
wood of the cross, images, pictures, yea, the 
Pope himself. In purer Protestant communities 
there are those who try to serve God and Mam- 
mon ; or to exalt self and sin to a throne and an 
authority equal to those of God ; and thus at- 
tempt a polytheistic practice, whilst they would 
shrink with instinctive horror from the theory. 

3. It forbids Idolatry; or the worshipping and 
serving of something instead of God. 



THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 



37 



This is not confined to the worship of images ; 
the worship of nature, of reason, of fortune, of 
chance, of fate ; the worship of self, the world, 
the creatures, is idolatry, at least as real and 
guilty, if not as gross and carnal. The proud 
man, idolizes himself, and offers incense at his 
own altar ; therefore God views him as his rival. 
The ambitious man deifies the opinions of his 
fellows ; for to these he pays supreme regard. 
The revengeful man usurps the throne of God, and 
invades His prerogative to whom " vengeance 
belongeth." The covetous man deifies his wealth, 
and literally falls down and worships a god of 
gold. The rapturous lover deifies his mistress ; 
the man of business, his occupation or success ; 
the man of intellect, his powers of understanding 
and research ; the man of literature, his scientific 
distinctions ; the man of virtue, his moral supe- 
riority ; the man of religion, his consistency, and 
stedfastness, and perseverance. Yea, the lawful 
objects of affection severally become idols, which 
usurp the throne of God ; and before the shrine 
of talent, though debased by impurity and pro- 
faneness, by levity and irreligion, crowds of 
deluded votaries pay their daily and their nightly 
homage ; and many a marble tablet, and sculp- 
tured form, and splendid mansion, tell the shame- 
less tale of concealed and unsuspected idolatry. 
That which has the heart is god to us ; how many 
strange gods then are adored ! 

4. It forbids all neglect of the proper claims of 
God. 

Ignorance of God, with all the deficient em- 

E 



38 THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 

ployment of the means of knowing Him; and 
forgetfulness of God. with every neglect in acquir- 
ing the constant sense of his presence, are trans- 
gressions of this precept. All vile, selfish, and 
sinful affections, as in the sight of God ; all un- 
worthy and sinful thoughts of God ; all mistrust 
and hatred of God; all lukewarmness and cold- 
ness towards God; all insensibility to his mercies, 
and impenitence on account of sin ; all pride, 
hardness of heart, and unbelief ; yea, all want of 
that full confidence, supreme love, fervent zeal, 
sincere penitence ; deep humility, reverential awe, 
and cheerful submission, which are required by 
the claims of his excellent glory, are so many 
breaches of this command. To neglect any part 
of his service, whether directly towards himself, 
or indirectly towards the creatures ; and to do 
any thing without God, is thus to sin against 
Him. 

III. Various arguments or reasons of obedience 
to this precept are suggested by the words " be- 
fore me/' with which it closes. 

1. They remind us of God's incomparable 
glory ; there is none like Him, none with whom 
he can be compared ; his claims, therefore, ought 
not to be put in competition with those of any 
other being. " To whom will ye liken me, and 
make me equal, and compare me, that I may be 
like ? I am God, and there is none else ; I am 
God, and there is none like me, declaring the end 
from the beginning, and from ancient times, the 
things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel 
shall stand, and I will do all mv pleasure." 
1 



THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 



39 



Every man who rightly regards the incomparable 
glory of God, must feel how reasonable and 
proper is his prompt and entire obedience to the 
command, ' ' Thou shalt have no other gods before 
me." " Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the 
gods ? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, 
fearful in praises, doing wonders ?" 

2. The supreme authority of Jehovah is asserted 
in the words before me;" it is dangerous to 
disobey or contend with Him. Behold, "it is he 
that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the 
inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers ; that 
stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and 
spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in." " He 
doeth according to his will, in the army of heaven, 
and among the inhabitants of the earth; and 
none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What 
doest thou ?" " He is wise in heart, and mighty 
in strength ; who hath hardened himself against 
him, and hath prospered ?" How should we be- 
ware that we give not our hearts and energies 
to another ; He is jealous of his glory. 

3. His infinite knowledge is suggested as 
another reason for obedience ; we cannot sin 
against Him without his knowing it ; nothing is 

4 hidden from Him : ' ' There is no creature that is 
not manifest in his sight ; all things are naked 
and open unto the eyes of him with whom we 
have to do." " He searches the hearts, and tries 
the reins of the children of men." " If then we 
have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched 
out our hands to a strange god, shall not God 
search this out ? for he knoweth the secrets of the 
e 2 



40 



THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 



heart." And how shall we answer it to Him, 
when he ariseth to judgment ? 

4. The presence of God is so near to us, and 
about us continually, that we cannot overlook or 
neglect his claims, without incurring the guilt of 
those who forget Him, and live without God in 
the world. " Whither shall we go from his 
Spirit ? or whither shall we flee from his pre- 
sence ?" And shall we dare, in his very pre- 
sence, to provoke Him to jealousy with those 
which are no gods ? 

5. The punishment with which God has ac- 
tually visited idolatry, may be further introduced 
here, as illustrative of the implicit obligation to 
obedience. The ancient inhabitants of the world, 
" when they knew God, glorified him not as God; 
neither were thankful, but became vain in their 
imaginations, and their foolish heart was dark- 
ened. Professing themselves to be wise, they 
became fools, and changed the glory of the incor- 
ruptible God into an image made like to corrupti- 
ble man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and 
creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them 
up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own 
hearts. And even as they did not like to retain 
God in their knowledge, God gave them over to 
a reprobate mind." The Jews dishonoured Him 
by serving other gods, and he caused them to be 
carried captive to Babylon ; and when they would 
not acknowledge the claims of the Messiah, who 
is "over all, God blessed for ever," but filled up 
the measure of their iniquities in crucifying Him, 
and then in forbidding the Apostles to proclaim 



THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 



41 



his glory among the Gentiles, he took away both 
their place and nation ; and they remain to this 
day, monuments of His indignation, who says, 
" Thou shalt have no other gods before me." 

6. All this implies what in the New Testament 
is distinctly taught, that disregard to the claims 
of God, excludes from heaven. 

Thus we read, " My dearly beloved, flee from 
idolatry. " " For this ye know, that no whore- 
monger, nor any unclean person, nor covetous 
man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance 
in the kingdom of Christ and of God." " Idola- 
ters shall have their part in the lake which burn- 
etii with fire and brimstone ; which is the second 
death." "Without holiness shall no man see 
the Lord." 



THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. 



Exodus xx. 4—6. 

t( Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any 
likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is 
in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the 
earth : Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor 
serve them ; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, 
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children 
unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate 
me ; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that 
love me, and keep my commandments." 

As the first commandment supposes the unity of 
God, and requires attention to his exclusive claims 
as the only God ; so the second supposes the spi- 
rituality of God, and requires due regard to Him 
as a Spirit. That has to do with the object, this 
with the mode of our worship and obedience. 

It is here assumed that the Deity is not a gross 
body, which may be seen with mortal eyes, or 
perceived by the touch ; but that he is a purely 
spiritual being, " dwelling in light which no man 
can approach unto, whom no man hath seen, or 
can see." " He is the King eternal, immortal, 
invisible." The fact that he pervades the wide 
universe by his presence, so that there is no place 



THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. 43 

of escape from the scrutiny of his eye, nor any 
passing beyond the sphere of his influence and 
abode/ plainly shows that he is not material ; for 
matter is necessarily confined to some shape and 
limits. He is not, however, the soul of the uni- 
verse ; for that would imply that he had taken it 
into union with himself ; but he is an independ- 
ent, essentially vital, and intelligent being. 

The Jews were thus reminded by Moses of his 
spirituality ; (Deut. iv. 9 — 19.) — " Only take 
heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest 
thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, 
and lest they depart from thy heart all the days 
of thy life : but teach them thy sons and thy sons' 
sons ; specially the day that thou stoodest before 
the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord said 
unto me, Gather me the people together, and I 
will make them hear my words, that they may 
learn to fear me all the days that they shall live 
upon the earth, and that they may teach their 
children. And ye came near, and stood under 
the mountain ; and the mountain burned with 
fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, 
clouds, and thick darkness. And the Lord spake 
unto you out of the midst of the fire : ye heard 
the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; 
only ye heard a voice. And he declared unto 
you his covenant which he commanded you to 
perform, even ten commandments ; and he wrote 
them upon two tables of stone. And the Lord 
commanded me at that time, to teach you statutes 
and judgments, that ye might do them in the land 
whither ye go over to possess it. Take ye there- 



44 THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. 

fore good heed unto yourselves ; for ye saw no 
manner of similitude on the day that the Lord 
spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the 
fire : lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a 
graven image, the similitude of any figure, the 
likeness of male or female, the likeness of any 
beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any 
winged fowl that flieth in the air, the likeness of 
any thing that creep eth on the ground, the like- 
ness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the 
earth : and lest thou lift up thine eyes unto 
heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the 
moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, 
shouldst be driven to worship them, and serve 
them, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto 
all nations under the whole heaven." 

This command requires a due regard to the 
Divine Spirituality, in all our ideas of Him, affec- 
tions towards Him, and service of Him ; and it 
binds us to obedience by several highly important 
considerations. Our first object must be to — 

I. State the obedience which this command- 
ment requires. Of this an interesting summary 
is given by our Lord; John iv. 24. " God is a 
Spirit ; and they that worship him, must worship 
him in spirit and in truth." 

1. It requires a distinct recognition of the 
Divine Spirituality, and forbids all corporeal or 
material representations and conceptions of Him. 
" God is a Spirit." 

The history of the world in every age has fur- 
nished the most affecting proofs of the proneness 
of men to indulge in gross conceptions of the 



THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. 45 

Divine Being, and to form material representa- 
tions of Him. Indeed, all idolatry seems to have 
originated in attempts to provide some visible re- 
presentation or image of the true object of wor- 
ship. And, perhaps, nothing is more difficult, as 
every sincere worshipper feels and laments, than 
to preserve the mind free from the influence of 
imagination in reference to the Godhead. Too 
often, when no image presents itself to the eye, 
a gross conception intrudes on the mind, and 
we find ourselves prostrate at the footstool of 
a creature like unto ourselves. This proneness to 
overlook the strict spirituality of God, is not to be 
traced to our ignorance of that spirituality. For 
a little reflection, and it is surely more than a 
little which we ought to exercise on a subject of 
such infinite moment as the nature of God, is suf- 
ficient to convince us that " God is a Spirit/' 
The argument which the Apostle employed with 
the Athenians, in order to show them the absur- 
dity of all attempts at a visible representation of 
the Deity, is so plain and forcible, as to appeal to 
every man with convincing force. " Forasmuch 
then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not 
to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or 
silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device." 
We, who are the offspring of God, are living 
creatures ; how inadequate then must be an in- 
animate thing to represent the Creator ! We are 
rational beings ; how inadequate then must be an 
irrational, though it even were a living thing, 
to represent the Creator 1 We are spiritual 
beings ; this our consciousness, our power of voli- 



46 THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. 

tion, our mental affections demonstrably prove ; 
how inadequate then must he a material object, to 
represent the Creator, who must himself be a 
Spirit. We are not left, however, to a process of 
argument to learn the spirituality of God. It is 
an express object of Divine revelation. God has 
taught us in his word that he is a Spirit : — an 
infinite Spirit, who fills immensity with his pre- 
sence ; — an eternal Spirit, who is alike without 
beginning and without end ; — an omnipotent 
Spirit, to whom all things are possible ; — an om- 
niscient Spirit, to whom all things are known ; — 
a perfect Spirit, whose nature is free from evil ; — 
an unchangeable Spirit, whom no circumstances 
can affect ; and that as a Spirit, we must conceive 
of Him and regard Him, if we would worship 
Him aright ; so that our tendency to overlook his 
spirituality, does not proceed from ignorance of it. 
Nor does the difficulty which we feel in entertain- 
ing the idea of a spiritual being, sufficiently ac- 
count for this tendency. For whilst it is admitted 
that we are ignorant of the nature of a spiritual 
being, and are incapable of conceiving of such 
being, otherwise than by the properties which 
inhere in it, this is nothing but what is equally 
true in reference to material existence. We are 
quite as ignorant of the nature of matter as we 
are of that of spirit ; we know both, only by their 
distinctive and essential properties : so that there 
does not seem to be any natural reason why the 
idea of a spiritual agent, that can think, and will, 
and feel, should be more difficult of conception to 
us, ourselves such beings, than it is for us to en- 



THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. 47 



tertain a correct idea of a material being, of which 
we can know nothing, but by its solidity, magnitude, 
and extension. These remarks are introduced, be- 
cause there is reason to fear that we are ready to 
find an excuse for our neglect of the Divine spiri- 
tuality in the supposed difficulty that attends it, 
as though the idea was unattainable ; whereas, it 
does not appear that, in the nature of the case, 
there ought to be to a spiritual being, like the 
human soul, any greater difficulty in realizing the 
existence of a spiritual being, than to the material 
man in perceiving a material object; and the 
apostle Paul appealed to the Athenians on the 
point, as one with which the soul is, or might be 
familiar. But this proneness is to be traced into 
the moral depravity of the human spirit. Sin has 
dethroned reason, blinded and perverted it. It 
has given ascendency in us to that which is mate- 
rial and sensible. It has subordinated the supe- 
rior part of our nature, to that which is inferior. 
It has destroyed the love of God in us, so that 
we are without inclination to employ the means 
which we possess for acquainting ourselves with 
God, and are equally unwilling to submit our- 
selves unto Him, and thus by our dislike of God, 
and opposition to his authority, we have unfitted 
ourselves for entertaining a correct knowledge 
of Him. Nor is this mere reasoning ; it is the 
sense of Scripture ; the tendency of men to over- 
look the spirituality of God is referred to this 
source; Rom. i. 18 — 25. " For the wrath of 
God is revealed from heaven against all ungodli- 
ness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the 



48 



THE SECOND COMMANDMENT, 



truth in unrighteousness ; because that which may 
be known of God is manifest in them : for God 
hath showed it unto them. For the invisible 
things of him from the creation of the world are 
clearly seen, being understood by the things 
that are made, even his eternal power and God- 
head ; so that they are without excuse : because 
that when they knew God, they glorified him not 
as God, neither were thankful, but became vain 
in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was 
darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, 
they became fools : and changed the glory of the 
incoiTuptible God into an image made like to 
corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed 
beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God 
also gave them up to uncleanness through the 
lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own 
bodies between themselves : who changed the 
truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served 
the creature more than the Creator, who is 
blessed for ever. Amen." 

The second commandment is directed against 
this sinful tendency in men. It reminds us of the 
spirituality of God, and requires us distinctly to 
recognise it, and to avoid all corporeal or material 
representations and conceptions of him. We must 
not make an image of " any thing that is in heaven 
above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is 
in the water under the earth," as a representation 
of Jehovah, to bow down ourselves to it, and 
seiwe it. We must not conceive of Him as though 
he were a creature like to ourselves ; but remember 
that " God is a Spirit," an infinite, eternal, omni- 



THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. 



49 



potent Spirit, " who made the worlds, and all 
things therein;" who " dwelleth not in temples 
made with hands who " is not worshipped with 
men's hands, as though he needed any thing, 
seeing that he giveth to all, life, and breath, and 
all things." 

Nor let us think to find an excuse for our 
neglect of the Divine Spirituality in that lan- 
guage of inspiration which speaks of Jehovah as 
though he had the corporeal faculties of men. 
This language is employed in condescension to our 
infirmities, to convey to us some suitable ideas 
concerning the properties of this Great Spirit ; 
and these representations themselves might show 
to us the folly of all such conceptions of Him as 
those which we are prone to indulge. The eyes 
of the Lord, are eyes that " are in every place 
beholding the evil and the good." The ears of 
the Lord, are ears that hear in secret, that listen 
to thoughts, and attend to the breathings of desire. 
The arm of the Lord, is that which laid the 
foundations of the earth, and which sustains all 
things in existence, &c. 

This regard to the spirituality of God does not 
leave us at liberty to employ images or pictures 
as helps to our devotion; on the contrary, it 
expressly forbids it. We are commanded not to 
make to ourselves any representation of the Divine 
Being, or any image of any thing as connected 
with the idea of worship. The command does not, 
however, forbid all statuary and painting, as some 
have said ; for even God himself appointed these 
for certain purposes under the Mosaic economy, 

F 



50 THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. 

which had the cherubim overshadowing the mercy- 
seat ; but it forbids all attempts to represent 
Jehovah by images, or pictures, or creatures of 
the imagination, and requires us to worship Him 
as a Spirit. 

2. It requires that we engage in his service 
with spiritual affections and feelings, and forbids 
every thing that is opposed to such spiritual 
service. t£ God is a Spirit ; and they that wor- 
ship him, must worship him in spirit." 

We must serve God with sincerity. All ex- 
ternal forms are unprofitable and sinful, if the 
heart be not engaged. God requires the heart, 
and without it the tongue is a liar, and the greatest 
zeal is mere dissembling before God. This com- 
mandment then forbids all mere formality and 
hypocrisy in the service of God, and pronounces 
all that worship sinful which is not sincere. " The 
Lord looketh at the heart and Jesus pronounces 
them hypocrites, who draw nigh unto him with 
their mouth, and honour Him with their lips, whilst 
their heart is far from Him. 

Humility is another spiritual affection with 
which we must serve God. " He knoweth the 
proud afar off, but giveth grace to the humble." 
Paul speaks of " serving the Lord with all humi- 
lity of mind." This, the greatness and glory of 
God require ; " God is in heaven, and thou upon 
earth ;" and this, he has graciously promised to 
accept ; " to this man will I look, even to him 
that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth 
at my word." 

Fervour of feeling is also included in spiritual 



THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. 51 

service. We are to love God not only with all 
our heart, but also with all our strength ; we must 
bring our full vigour to the worship of God. Thus 
David prays, " Quicken us, that we may call on 
thy name and stirs up himself for the service 
of God : " Awake up, my glory ; awake psaltery 
and harp ; I myself will awake early." Can 
there indeed be any thing so unworthy, as a cold 
spiritless attention to the service of God ? If 
fervour be any where required, it is surely when 
we attempt to celebrate the praises, and pursue 
the glory of God. 

Again, we are required to serve God with 
gladness of heart. " Make a joyful noise unto the 
Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness ; 
come before his presence with singing. Enter 
into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his 
courts with praise : be thankful unto him, and 
bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy 
is everlasting ; and his truth endureth unto all 
generations." God is the object of delight to 
those who truly love and serve Him. Angels 
rejoice in Him, and heaven is filled with the 
triumphant adoration of his creatures. All low, 
despairing, melancholy feelings in the service of 
God are uncongenial with his claims and glory. 
Peep contrition, indeed, becomes sinners in their 
adoration of his purity, but this is quite con- 
sistent with the most pure and exalted delight in 
the perfection of his glory and the fulness of his 
grace. It is the character of a spiritual man, that 
he delights to do the will of God. 

Spiritual service implies faith. " Without faith 
f 2 



52 



THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. 



it is impossible to please God ; for he that cometh 
to God, must believe that he is, and that he is a 
re warder of them that diligently seek him." This 
confidence in Him as the parent of all being, and 
the source of all good, is of the very nature of 
worship ; and in the case of sinful men, the devout 
recognition of the Lord Jesus Christ, as the 
revealed medium of acceptable approach to God, 
is of the nature of worship too. " I am the way/' 
said Jesus, " and the truth, and the life ; no man 
cometh unto the Father but by me." This com- 
mandrequires faith in God, under whatever circum- 
stances, or by whatever parties he is approached, 
and requires, therefore, a due regard to the re- 
velation of God as to the ground of that confidence ; 
while it forbids all unbelief as derogatory to the 
glory of the Infinite Spirit, and all approach to 
Him, but through the medium of his gracious ap- 
pointment as mere presumption. The promises 
which encourage us to engage in his service, are 
" yea and amen in Jesus Christ and no effort 
to please or glorify God, can be accepted but for 
his sake. 

Nor must we fail to mention, that spiritual 
service is that which is rendered in dependence 
on the influence and grace of the Holy Spirit. 
However insensible men as sinners may be to the 
fact of their entire dependence on Divine aid for 
wisdom and power to serve God, man in innocence 
was fully sensible of it, and angels in heaven con- 
stantly feel it. They who serve God acceptably 
on earth, do so in his own strength. They go 
forth to his service " in the strength of the Lord 



THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. 53 

God ;" they look to his fulness as they proceed for 
new supplies of power and grace ; and they exercise 
this dependence even to the end. They bear every 
trial, they meet every difficulty, they discharge 
every duty, they encounter every opposition, they 
pursue every object, relying on the gracious help 
of God ; and thus obey the second commandment 
which requires the renunciation of self, forbids all 
attempts to serve God in our own strength, and 
says, " Be strong in the Lord, and in the power 
of his might/ ' 

3. This command requires due attention to all 
the ordinances of worship which God has instituted, 
and forbids every thing as worship, which he has 
not appointed. " God is a Spirit, and they that 
worship Him, must worship Him in spirit and in 
truth." 

To obey this command we must first ascertain 
what are the religious services in which God 
requires us to engage. Here, as in all other 
questions connected with the Divine glory, the 
word of God is our only guide. The precise ap- 
pointments of Jehovah as to the modes and ordi- 
nances of worship may vary, and have varied, 
under the successive dispensations of his govern- 
ment ; but the principle of this command is the 
same : it requires that God be worshipped only 
according to his own will. It required the animal 
sacrifices of the patriarchal dispensation, and 
afterwards the entire observance of the Levitical 
economy ; now it demands obedience to the ordi- 
nances of Christianity. God requires of us personal 
worship, in our closets ; domestic worship, in our 
f 3 



54 



THE SECOND COMMANDMENT, 



families ; and public worship in his sanctuary. 
The personal worship includes prayer, praise, the 
reading of the Scriptures, and Divine meditation. 
Domestic worship implies the assembling our fami- 
lies together for worship, including prayer, the 
reading of the word, and where practicable, sing- 
ing ; and this, at least, every morning and evening ; 
and the diligent and regular instruction of our 
children and servants in the great truths of God. 
Public worship consists of united prayer and praise 
in the name of Christ ; the reading, preaching, 
and hearing of the word ; the administration and 
reception of the Lord's Supper ; the fellowship of 
Christian society; with the observance of Baptism, 
the initiatory rite of the New Dispensation, and 
of private, social, and public seasons of fasting 
as occasion may require. On each of these par- 
ticulars much might be written ; to the principle 
of obedience to God, our attention is now called. 
We are bound to engage in these services, be- 
cause he has appointed them ; neglecting none of 
them, but engaging in them with conscientious- 
ness and regularity, according to their respective 
claims. 

This precept forbids all service which God has 
not appointed. Whilst it is written, " Whatso- 
ever is not of faith, is sin," we must conclude that 
whatever is rendered for worship, or made a 
medium or expression of it which has not his 
specific appointment, whatever arguments on the 
ground of expediency, or antiquity, or human 
authority, we may be able to furnish for its 
sanction, is unacceptable to Him ; it is mere will- 



THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. 55 

worship. Whether fixed formularies of worship 
be good or evil in themselves, and whether they 
act wisely for their souls and for eternity who 
adopt them, it is not important here to decide ; 
but this is plain, that the imposition of such com- 
pilations by any authority., since God has not 
enjoined them, is a breach of this commandment, 
since it is an attempt to legislate where he has 
not legislated in religion ; and that to submit to 
such imposition is to seek the blessing of God out 
of the way of his appointment and promise, and 
thus transgress his commandment. This principle 
being perceived and understood, it is easy to see 
how all Pagan and Romish idolatry is contrary to 
this command, and forbidden by it ; and how all 
superstitious additions to God's appointment in purer 
Protestant communities, are so many breaches of 
this command. God cannot be worshipped " in 
truth" when he is worshipped as he has not 
appointed. 

II. To the second commandment are added three 
important sanctions, by which obedience is en- 
forced ; the jealousy, the justice, and the mercy 
of God. 

1. The jealousy of God is referred to as an 
argument for obedience to this precept. " /, the 
Lord thy God, am a jealous God" 

Idolatry is often described as spiritual adultery, 
and God is spoken of as jealous for his rights, 
and his glory as the object of worship. Jealousy is 
quick- sighted ; it perceives with alarm the slightest 
deviation from consistency and propriety. It is 
described by Solomon as being " cruel like the 



56 



THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. 



grave." What then must the jealousy of God 
be ? He is infinitely more sensible of his rights 
and claims than any of the creatures can be, and 
he is perfectly acquainted with every, even the 
most secret infringement of them. How narrowly 
should we watch over our worship, and how 
carefully search our hearts, and try our reins as in 
his presence. 

2. The justice of God takes fearful retribution 
on the breakers of this commandment. " Visiting 
the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the 
third and fourth generation of them that hate me." 

The light in which God views the transgressors 
of this precept, as haters of Him, fully bears out 
the conclusion to which we have come as to the 
source to which must be referred our proneness 
to overlook and neglect his spirituality. We do 
not like to retain the thoughts of such a being as 
he is, and therefore we make no appropriate effort 
to realize his infinite presence, but try to screen 
ourselves by the difficulty which attaches to it. 
The severity of God in punishing idolatry, is well 
calculated to rebuke our unholy selfishness, and 
deter us from thus insulting his glory. How does 
the history of the Jews show this severity ; and 
what an awful proof is given of it in the condition 
of Pagan nations, Rom. i. 20 — 28, and in the 
" strong delusions" of the Antichristian apostacy. 
2 Thess. ii. 11. What a solemn warning is hereby 
given to parents, not to entail the guilt of idolatry 
upon their children, and*to children not to tread in 
the steps of ungodly parents, lest they be punished 
for their sins, when they thus mark their approba- 



THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. 



57 



tion of them. Some read the passage " by the 
children," instead of upon, and illustrate it by the 
case of SenDacherib, whose ' ' sons slew him as he 
was worshipping in the house of his god." 2 Kings 
xix. 37. 

3. We are encouraged to obey this command by 
a declaration of the mercy of God. " Showing 
mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep 
my commandments." 

Not that obedience merits the Divine favour, 
but such is the condescending grace of God that 
he says, " Him that honoureth me, I will honour." 
How extensively has the history of the world 
shown the truth of this gracious promise ; and 
who that reflects on the value of God's favour 
does not feel that the hope of its enjoyment is a 
most powerful inducement to obey his will. 

The addition of this promise to the command- 
ment is a remarkable fact, deserving of serious 
attention. There is nothing surprising in the 
previous sanction ; it displays the reign of strict 
and impartial justice, and only pre-intimates its 
settled purpose of equity ; but that God should 
encourage to obedience by a promise of mercy, is 
a proof of sovereign favour, which compels us to 
regard even the law when given on Sinai as 
breathing the spirit of the Gospel. Its very terms 
imply sin, and suggest the idea of forgiveness. 
Its authority is perpetuated as at the beginning, 
but it is seen anticipating its illustrious fulfilment 
by the Divine Mediator, and becomes itself the 
organ of gracious encouragement and hope. 



THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 



Exodus xx. 7- 

" Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in 
vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless, that taketh 
his name in vain." 

The third commandment proceeds on the assump- 
tion of God's infinite greatness, and requires re- 
verential regard to it. " Behold, God is great, 
and we know Him not ;" " his greatness is un- 
searchable." The essential peculiarity of his nature, 
as Three in One, is an inexplicable mystery ; all 
the properties of his being are perfect, we cannot 
search them out : and his " judgments are far 
above out of our sight." From Him nothing is 
hid ; no, not even the secret thoughts of the heart, 
and " there is no place where the workers of iniquity 
may hide themselves." Before Him all the in- 
habitants of the earth are as grasshoppers, and 
his power none can withstand. " Who then in 
the heavens can be compared to the Lord ? Who 
among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto 
the Lord ?" Verily, God is great, and " greatly 
to be feared." " Thou shalt not take the name of 
the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord will not 
hold him guiltless, that taketh his name in vain." 



THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 



59 



" Serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly 
fear, for even our God is a consuming fire." 

The name of God is put for all that by which 
God makes himself known. The titles by which 
he is designated, the attributes which compose 
his being, the works he has performed, the word 
he has inspired, and the various ordinances of 
religion which he has instituted, all unfold his 
glory, and assert his claims. The third com- 
mandment then must be understood to require a 
holy and reverential regard to God as he has 
made himself known, and in all that by which he 
makes himself known ; and to forbid all impiety, 
and every thing that is not strictly reverential in 
his sight ; and it does both under the sanction of 
that fearful declaration ; " the Lord will not hold 
him guiltless, that taketh his name in vain." 

I. The nature of that reverential regard to the 
Deity which is required must be first explained. 
It includes the following particulars. 

1. Diligent study of the Divine glory. 

God has condescended variously to make himself 
known unto us, and when he forbids all slighting 
of that by which he is known, he virtually requires 
that we duly improve all those means by which 
we may become acquainted with Him. The titles 
of God must be attentively considered, that we 
may discover his dignity ; and piously contemplated, 
that we may not trifle with them. — The attributes 
of God must be viewed in their individual import 
and their combined harmony, that we may know 
who and what he is ; their doctrinal signification 
must be sought, and their practical influence felt. — 



60 



THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 



The works of God must be patiently investigated, 
and practically regarded. The heavens declare 
his glory ; the earth is full of his goodness ; his 
government both in the universality, which includes 
all creatures, and the specialty, which takes care 
of individuals, set forth his perfection and excel- 
lence. " All his works praise him, and his saints 
should bless him." " The works of the Lord are 
great, sought out of all them that have pleasure 
therein." — The word of God must be seriously 
and habitually read, with personal application and 
humble prayer. The like pious attention is re- 
quired to all Divine ordinances, and the profes- 
sions of pious men, since by these also we may 
increase in the knowledge of God. — This study 
of the Divine glory must be habitual, laborious, 
patient, persevering, and prayerful, avoiding the 
idle curiosity that would pry into things unseen, 
and the merely speculative study, which has no 
practical influence or aim. 

2. Habitual sense of his presence. 

That man cannot be said to fear his great and 
dreadful name who lives in forgetfulness of Him. 
The holy veneration of his majesty will naturally 
induce a careful and practical recognition of his 
presence. They only can be said to obey this 
command who habitually feel that they are under 
his eye, and in his presence, and who indulge a 
corresponding anxiety to please and glorify Him. 
To forget God, or to think of his omnipresence only, 
as a sublime theory, and not as a practical reality, 
is to slight the name of Jehovah. 

3. Humility of mind. 



THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 



6! 



The greatness of God, rightly perceived and felt, 
cannot fail to produce such a feeling of deep awe, as 
Job describes when he says, " When I remember, I 
am afraid, and trembling taketh hold on my flesh ;" 
— such a sense of entire unworthiness and insig- 
nificance as David expressed, " Lord, what is man 
that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man, 
that thou visitest him V — such a fear of his dis- 
pleasure as Joseph exhibited when he repelled the 
syren voice of temptation, saying, <f How then 
can I do this great wickedness, and sin against 
God ?" — such a deeply affecting sense of our 
sinfulness, and need of God's mercy as the pub- 
lican discovered when he stood afar off, and smote 
on his breast, and cried, " God be merciful to me 
a sinner." The absence of this humility is a proof 
that we are not duly impressed with the majesty 
of God ; how much more then must all pride, and 
self-importance, all presumption and vain glory, 
all dependence on our own wisdom and strength, 
and pursuit of our own advantage as the chief 
end, be considered as a slighting or profaning of 
his great name ! 

4. Divine conformity in the affections. 

To exhibit that serious regard to Jehovah 
which this command enjoins, the affections of the 
soul must be withdrawn from those vain and 
carnal objects on which they naturally fix; for 
the preference given to worldly and sinful objects, 
and the aversion naturally felt towards God, and 
those things which he esteems, and loves, is a 
practical slight of Him. The soul that fears Him, 

G 



62 



THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 



loves the things which he loves, and hates those 
which he hates. 

5. Serious language on all Divine subjects. 
The glory of God is too awful and important 

a thing to be spoken of in any particular, or 
under any circumstances, but with the greatest 
solemnity. At best we do but lisp his name ; we 
cannot speak his glory. To utter his name, then, 
or speak of any thing which pertains to Him in 
any other language than that which is most 
chastened, select, devout, is presumptuous and 
profane. To speak of sacred things with levity 
of manner, in a spirit of carelessness, or for any 
purpose but that of edifying, and to employ sacred 
language on profane or common occasions, is to 
transgress this precept, and " take God's name in 
vain." 

6. Scrupulous regard to religious vows. 

God requires us to enter solemnly into cove- 
nant with Him, and having done so, to renew the 
pledge on special occasions. For this practice 
there is the sanction of many illustrious names. 
Jacob vowed a vow, when he departed from his 
father's house ; Hannah vowed a vow, when she 
prayed unto the Lord at the Tabernacle ; David 
" sware unto the Lord, and vowed unto the 
mighty God of Jacob;" and Paul shaved his 
head in Cenchrea, for he had a vow. Great care 
is requisite in making vows ; their object must be 
lawful, such as we have ability to execute, and as 
it is proper to perform : " Suffer not thy mouth 
to cause thy flesh to sin ; neither say thou before 



THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 



63 



the angel that it was an error ; wherefore should 
God he angry at thy voice, and destroy the work 
of thy hands?" Vows should be made in so 
guarded a manner, as not to admit of miscon- 
struction, or unnecessarily to place us in subse- 
quent difficulty; — Jephthah's vow was faulty in 
this respect. It was couched in too general 
terms, and conveyed more than he meant. They 
must be made in a holy and devotional spirit ; for 
" unto the wicked, God saith, What hast thou to 
do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest 
take my covenant in thy mouth ?" — The strict 
performance of all lawful vows is also required by 
this precept ; " Vow, and pay unto the Lord 
your God not to do so, is to trifle with his 
glorious name. All hasty resolutions on the sub- 
ject of religion, and all forgetfulness of solemn 
professions, and practical disregard to them, must 
be viewed as breaches of this command. 

7. Solemnity in taking oaths, and strict com- 
pliance with them. 

The fact, that God himself is represented as 
swearing ; that he directed the administration of 
oaths, for judicial purposes, under the Old Testa- 
ment Dispensation ; that our Lord Jesus Christ 
answered the High Priest's adjuration when 
he was put on his trial, after having in his 
ministry exposed the fallacy and guilt of mental 
reservation in oath-taking ; and, that the Apostles 
on various occasions, employed oaths for confir- 
mation, teach us that there is nothing morally 
wrong in this kind of swearing. But the volume 
of Scripture every where shows that the act is 
g 2 



64 



THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 



one of great solemnity, and of strictly binding 
obligation; tbe command is, " Tbou shalt not 
take tbe name of the Lord thy God in vain." To 
comply with this command, the occasion must be 
one of sufficient importance to justify an appeal to 
the Almighty, as when Paul said to the Corin- 
thians, " I call God for a record upon my soul, 
that to spare you I came not as yet to Corinth 
otherwise the name of God is but profaned by it. 
Oaths must be taken in a deeply solemn spirit, 
realizing the glorious character of God, to whom 
the appeal is made : " Thou shalt swear, the Lord 
liveth, — in truth, in judgment, and in righteous- 
ness." And when once taken, oaths must be 
very religiously regarded. Thus, in the case of 
the Gibeonites, to whom Israel had sworn to pre- 
serve them alive, they kept the oath, and when, at 
a subsequent period, this oath was vilely broken 
by Saul, the Lord visited the guilt upon the land 
and upon his house. 2 Sam. xxi. This is the 
character of them who shall dwell in God's holy 
hill ; " they swear to their own hurt, and change 
not." Our Lord's prohibition of swearing under 
the New Testament must, in spirit, if not in letter, 
be understood to forbid oaths. It requires such 
regard to truth, in every affirmation and negation, 
as shall render oaths unnecessary. If it permit 
oaths at all, it certainly restricts the taking of 
them within the narrowest possible limits ; and it 
plainly contemplates a state of society under the 
hallowing influence of Christian principles, when 
even for ends of political justice, they shall neither 
be required nor necessary. Matt. v. 33 — 37. 



THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 



65 



8. Simplicity and frankness of general conver- 
sation. 

All the communications of men with each other 
should be so marked by candour and truth, as to 
need no oath for confirmation ; the degree in 
which they are not so, is a profanation, a slight 
put on the glorious name of God, as " the God of 
truth." There are occasions which justify silence, 
but none which warrant dissimulation. " Let 
your speech be always with grace, seasoned with 
salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer 
every man." " Let your communication be, 
Yea, yea ; Nay, nay ; for whatsoever is more 
than these cometh of evil." 

9. Devout seriousness in the worship of God. 
We must seriously prepare for God's worship. 

" Keep thy foot when thou goest unto the house 
of God." " Let a man examine himself." 
Thoughtless rushing into the presence of God, 
such as no one would venture to practise towards 
men of higher rank and station, is a flagrant 
breach of this command. — We must set apart a 
suitable and sufficient portion of time for God's 
worship, and this in the closet, and in the family, 
as well as in the sanctuary ; that the engagement 
may not be subject to unnecessary interruptions, 
nor require to be so hurried as to prevent serious- 
ness. — This command requires all such previous 
arrangement of our worldly affairs as shall leave 
undisturbed the hours of Divine worship. — We 
must regularly and punctually attend to the various 
ordinances of God's worship, " not forsaking the 
assembling of ourselves together, as the manner 
g 3 



66 THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 

of some is," nor carelessly disturbing the worship 
of others, and destroying the solemnity of the oc- 
casion, by entering after the worship has com- 
menced. — We must seriously engage in God's 
worship. " He is to be had in reverence of all 
them that are round about him." " Continue in 
prayer, and watch in the same with thanks- 
giving." All levity and trifling, whether in the 
heart, or in the look, or with the tongue; all 
losing sight of the great object and design of 
worship, and the indulgence of any affection which 
is not in entire unison with its high and holy 
character, is an insult offered to the great object 
of worship. — This command requires also serious 
meditation after worship. We must join watch- 
fulness with prayer ; must labour rightly to im- 
prove mercies, after acknowledging them ; must 
search the Scriptures daily, as the only test of 
truth, and rule of practice ; and employ ourselves 
in fixed and holy efforts to maintain habitual 
seriousness of spirit, in the devout recognition of 
Jehovah's presence ; otherwise, our services are 
but profane mockery of his dreadful name. 

10. Resigned acquiescence in the allotments of 
his Providence. 

The outward circumstances of our condition 
are so plainly the appointments of God, that they 
distinctly intimate what his will concerning us is, 
and require prompt, cheerful, entire acquiescence 
in them, as intimations of his authority ; to refuse 
such acquiescence is to put a slight on his name, 
whether the refusal appear in discontented, but 
suppressed feelings, in murmuring words, in prey- 



THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 67 

ing anxiety, or in open opposition. " Let your 
deportment be free from anxious carefulness, and 
be content with such things as ye have ; for he 
hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake 
thee." The prayer of Agur breathes the spirit of 
obedience to this precept ; Eli and Job, Paul and 
Christ, have left us an example of such obe- 
dience. " Not my will, but thine be done." " I 
have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith 
to be content." 

1 1 . Open profession that we are influenced by 
the fear of God. 

Our actions are performed in the sight of the 
Great God, for whose glory we are to live. It is 
therefore required of us to walk worthy of God 
in all holiness, righteousness, and truth; boldly 
acknowledging his name, although there may be 
many adversaries ; and seeking his glory, al- 
though there may be much opposition ; abstain- 
ing even from the appearance of evil, that our 
separation from "the course of this world," may 
be the more marked and decisive, and pursuing 
the great objects of the Messiah's reign, so as to 
show that for us " to live is Christ." Not to 
show ourselves thus visibly and fully on the 
Lord's side, is practically to be ashamed of Him, 
and to slight his infinite claims. 

II. The Impiety or Profaneness forbidden by 
this commandment, is seen in the circumstances 
which are immediately opposite to those by 
which we have described the reverence which it 
requires. There are, however, some flagrant 



68 



THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 



breaches of this command, which must be more 
fully exposed ; such as — 
L Levity of character. 

Under this particular must be included, first of 
all, the carelessness which rejects the claims of 
God and of religion, without openly opposing or 
denying them. Nothing is more common than 
this ; it is the damning sin of thousands ; yet it 
is not perhaps viewed as a breach of the third 
commandment. Its guilt by this test is manifest; 
for it neglects the serious study of his name ; it 
despises the awful importance of his authority ; 
it contemptuously disregards the paramount 
claims of his glory. The gay and thoughtless 
votaries of fashion, in whose minds the thoughts 
of God find no place ; the frivolous and trifling 
lovers of worldly amusement, whose hearts revolt 
at serious things ; the plodding, anxious men of 
business, who can find no time for the sober reali- 
ties of religion ; the eager devotees of pleasure, 
and sensual gratification, who despise the fear of 
God as a gloomy and melancholy thing ; the 
sceptical men of science and literature, who rest 
in second causes, and lose sight of God and his 
claims, even whilst they search out the wonders 
of his works ; and the mere professors of religion, 
who hear the word of the Lord, but regard it 
not ; who have a Bible, but study it not ; who 
witness the pious zeal of God's people, but imi- 
tate it not ; who are perpetually reminded of the 
claims of God, of the value of the soul, and of the 
importance of eternity, but who set not their 



THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 



69 



hearts to these things, may read their guilt, and 
see their danger, as they hear their Maker say, 
" Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy 
God in vain ; for the Lord will not hold him 
guiltless that taketh his name in vain." Their 
levity of character is an open contempt of the 
Greatness of God. 

2. Profaneness of speech : — Of this evil, there 
are many varieties. 

The needless and irreverent use of the name of 
God, may be first mentioned. Whether it be an 
angry or a thoughtless appeal which men make to 
the Almighty ; whether it imprecate curses, or 
implore blessings, on their bodies, or on their 
souls ; on their friends, or on their foes ; on the 
brute creation, or on things without life; or, 
whether it be a mere expletive thrown in without 
meaning, the effect of habit, or the expression of 
supposed importance and dignity, it is a fearful 
contempt of the Divine power and glory. Oh ! 
if God's justice were as ready to consume sinners 
as they are to pray for its inflictions, what num- 
bers would perish daily at his feet, the monu- 
ments of his wrath ! — All appeals to God for the 
truth of our statements on mere frivolous and 
trifling occasions, are breaches of this command- 
ment. Such phrases as — God knows that it is so ; 
— I'll take my oath of it ; or, by way of rendering 
the asseveration stronger, and thereby making 
the profaneness more profane, — my Sacrament 
oath, that it is so, are instances of awful trifling 
with the name of God. — Unholy and trifling asse- 
verations, in which the name of God is not 



70 



THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 



actually used, are equally guilty. Such are these ; 
Bless my soul ; upon my word ; upon my honour; 
— phrases too often used without thought or 
consideration, but found, when examined, to in- 
volve a profane appeal to the Deity. The thought- 
less and irreverent use of the name of God, even 
in a lawful connexion, and all irreverent and tri- 
fling discoursing on Divine subjects, are also pro- 
fane. Thoughtlessly, and without corresponding 
pious emotions, to give utterance to the sacred 
names of God, whether in prayer, or in conversa- 
tion ; to make a taunt of religion, or a jest of the 
pious ; to trifle with the character or repu- 
tation of God's people ; to speak slightingly of 
the word of God, the ordinances of religion, or 
the ministers of the sanctuary, is to insult God in 
those things by which he makes himself known. 
There might be added here, Lying ; whether it be 
a flat denial of the truth, or the invention of 
something that is not true; or equivocation, or 
misrepresentation, or deficient statement, or care- 
less addition to the truth, it is a species of pro- 
faneness ; a practical insult to the Greatness of 
God. 

3. Perjury. 

"Because of swearing," perjury, "this land 
mourneth." If it be lawful, in order to make an end 
of all strife, to swear on some great and solemn occa- 
sions, it is certainly not lawful to swear on many, if 
not on most of the occasions on which oaths are now 
administered and taken ; and that in most, if not 
in all instances, the ends of civil justice would be 
equally promoted by solemn affirmations, are posi- 



THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 



71 



tions the truth of which is now extensively ac- 
knowledged. Certain it is that all unnecessary 
oaths transgress this commandment ; and how many 
such, alas ! are mixed up with the municipal and 
commercial regulations of this country ! Who does 
not, or at least, ought not to blush to read the 
constable's oath, the churchwarden's oath, the 
magistrate's oath ? Are they ever meant to be 
practically regarded ? Is it even possible to per- 
form them ? And how many oaths are taken in 
commercial life which are worse than mere forms ? 
— False oaths transgress this command ; they are 
an appeal to the Omniscient God to attest the 
truth of a lie. — Oaths taken in ignorance, whether 
of the nature of an oath, or of the particular 
documents or facts sworn to, are also perjury. 
Flagrant instances of this kind may be met with 
every day at the Custom-House, and every session 
at the Universities \ — Oaths taken for the sake 
of gain, if even true, are also an awful trifling 
with the great name of God; and oaths taken 
with double meaning and mental reservation are 
equally guilty. Thus saith the Lord Jesus, " Woe 
unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever 
shall swear by the temple, it is nothing ; but who- 
soever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he 
is a debtor ! Ye fools and blind : for whether is 
greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth 
the gold ? And, whosoever shall swear by the altar, 
it is nothing ; but whosoever sweareth by the 

1 Since this was written, many oaths have been abolished, 
and others will soon follow. 



72 THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 

gift that is upon it, he is guilty. Ye fools and 
blind ; for whether is greater, the gift, or the 
altar that sanctifieth the gift ? Whoso therefore 
shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and 
by all things thereon. And whoso shall swear 
by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that 
dwelleth therein. And he that shall swear by 
heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by 
him that sitteth thereon. " Matt, xxiii. 16 — 22. 
— Oaths taken as a mere matter of form are also 
guilty, and on the same grounds. " Thus saith 
the Lord, Ye shall not swear by my name falsely; 
neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God ; 
I am the Lord." And the neglect to perform 
oaths incurs the same condemnation; " Thou 
shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform to the 
Lord thine oaths." 

4. Gaming is a profane appeal to the providence 
of God, by which this precept is transgressed; 
whether it be to superintend an unlawful project, 
and direct it to our welfare, or to secure to us a 
real good, by wrong means. 

This is one of the crying sins of Britain, and 
pervades all classes of the community, from the 
man of wealth, and influence, and station, who 
can stake his thousands, to the idle boy that plays 
in the street, and bets or tosses his pence. At 
the card-table, and in the billiard-room ; on the 
exchange, and on the race-course ; in private, and 
in public ; on the small scale of petty wagers and 
the large scale of commercial speculations, profane 
appeals are constantly made to the supreme and 
universal power of God, in which dissatisfaction 



THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 



73 



with his arrangements is expressed, opposition to 
his will declared, and awful trifling with his 
greatness exhibited. 

5 . Blasphemy also reproaches God, by denying 
or ridiculing his Great name. 

Such is the denial of his being, as when " the 
fool says, there is no God;" of his attributes, as 
when men say, " How doth God know, and is 
there knowledge with the Most High ?" of his 
government, as when sinners proudly ask, "What 
is the Almighty, that we should serve him?" — 
Such is the denial of the Divine nature and incar- 
nation of the Son of God; "Every spirit that 
confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the 
flesh, is not of God ;" — such is the ascription of the 
miraculous power of God to Satanic agency ; this, 
when maliciously indulged, our Lord declared to 
be the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost : — such 
is the denial of the inspiration of the Scriptures, 
or of the veracity of its contents ; as when scof- 
fers ask, Hath the Lord indeed spoken, or "Where 
is the promise of his coming ?" — such are all hard 
thoughts of God, as when the careless attempt to 
excuse their guilt, saying, " He is a hard master;" 
and all impious thoughts of God, as when the 
wicked harden themselves in sin, saying, " Where 
is the God of judgment ?" — and, such is all the ridi- 
cule, sometimes poured on religion and religious 
things ; as when the inconsistencies of professors 
are charged to the account of religion, although 
they are plainly and severely condemned by it ; 
as when the afflictions of the righteous are made 
an occasion of reproach to them or to their reli - 

H 



74 



THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 



gion, as it is contemptuously asked, "Where is 
now your God ?" 

6. Superstition also despises or profanes the 
name of God. 

To be "righteous over much," to give a reli- 
gious regard to things that are unworthy of it, 
supposes that the just requirements of God are 
not sufficient, and therefore we must add some- 
thing thereto. The traditions of the Jews were 
of this character ; so are also the idolatries of the 
heathen, the fooleries of Popery, the many pravers 
of Mahometans, and the unscriptural rites which 
are sometimes blended with the purer worship of 
Protestants. To this head must be referred the 
arts of astrology, magic, juggling, witchcraft, — 
the notion of charms and omens, — the doctrine of 
ghosts and apparitions, — the interpretation of 
dreams, and of strange impressions on the mind. 
Here too must be reckoned the idea of lucky and 
unlucky days and hours ; and under the Christian 
dispensation, the distinction of holy days and holy 
places ; and the vain dependence placed by many 
on the rite of baptism, as the instrument of rege- 
neration, and on the Lord's Supper, administered 
at the hour of death as a passport to heaven. 

7 . Hypocrisy is a profane trifling with the name 
of God. 

Whether this be mere insincerity cherished in 
the heart, or false pretences put forth in the life, 
it insults the omniscience of God, as if he did not 
know the truth ; the omnipresence of God, as if 
we had escaped from his eye ; the authority* of 
God, as if he had no right to our hearts ; the 



THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 



75 



power of God, as if his arm were too weak to 
take vengeance on our iniquities ; the justice of 
God, as if nothing were to be feared from his 
wrath ; and the mercy of God, as if his forbear- 
ance had laid us under no obligations, and as if 
his forgiveness were of no value. 

8. Unbelief also ranks among the flagrant 
breaches of this command. 

If there be one species of trifling with " that 
great and dreadful name, the Lord our God/' 
which above all others is offensive and guilty — it 
is unbelief; — unbelief, which makes God a liar; 
as in one instance it fears to believe his promises, 
and in another dares to dispute his threatenings, 
and, in multitudes of instances, seeks excuses for 
not obeying his commands, and embracing his 
Gospel. Let the unbelieving sinner who stands 
aloof from the grace of Jesus ponder this, that 
" God will not hold him guiltless who taketh his 
name in vain." 

HI. The special motive by which obedience to 
this command is enforced, is a solemn declaration 
of God's determination to visit disobedience with 
merited punishment. 

Many breaches of this command are altogether 
overlooked ; but God is acquainted with every 
secret thought, affection, and motive, which 
trifles with his name. The guilt of many trans- 
gressions against this precept is greatly under- 
rated by men ; they are accounted and treated as 
mere venial sins, but God estimates the guilt by 
his own infinite glory. Men too often boast 
themselves in their impiety; but thus saith the 
h 2 



76 



THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 



Lord, £< The Lord will not hold him guiltless who 
taketh his name in vain." His Justice requires 
that he should not ; his faithfulness implies that 
he will not ; his power declares that he can not 
" hold him guiltless who taketh his name in 
vain and facts prove that he does not. Let 
profane sinners review the history of his govern- 
ment, and tremble for their safety. Cain refused 
to entertain the fear of God, and was doomed to 
perpetual infamv. Lot's wife looked behind her, 
and was changed into a pillar of salt. Nadab and 
Abihu offered strange fire before the Lord, and 
perished in his presence. Korah and his com- 
pany despised the authority of God as reposed 
in his servants, and the earth swallowed them 
up. The Israelitish woman's son blasphemed 
the name of the Lord, and he was stoned, by 
Divine command, without the camp. Young men 
insulted God in the person of his prophet Elisha, 
and bears tore them in pieces. L^zzah put forth 
his hand to the ark of God, and there he died. 
King L^zziah would burn incense upon the altar 
of incense, and was wroth with the priests ; and 
he became a leper unto the day of his death. 
Nebuchadnezzar's heart was lifted up, and his 
mind hardened in pride ; and he was driven from 
among men until seven times had passed over 
him. Ananias and Sapphira lied unto the Holy 
Ghost ; and they fell down dead at the Apostles' 
feet. Herod gave not God the glory, and he was 
eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost. Elymas 
the sorcerer withstood the Apostles, and sought 
to turn away the deputy from the faith, and the 



THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 77 

'hand of the Lord was upon him, and smote him 
with blindness. Eutychus lost sight of the presence 
and claims of God, and sunk down into a deep 
sleep while Paul preached; and he fell from the 
third loft, and was taken up dead. Nor have 
such instances of present retribution altogether 
ceased from the earth. In like manner, God 
sometimes shows his righteousness, and takes 
vengeance even now. But who shall describe 
the strange punishment of eternal fire which 
awaits the ungodly hereafter ? " It is a fearful 
thing to fall into the hands of the living God." 
" All have sinned, and come short of his glory." 
" Who shall stand when he appeareth V 

" To the dear fountain of thy blood, 
Incarnate God ! I fly ; 
Here let me wash my spotted soul, 
From crimes of deepest dye." 



H 3 



THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 



Exodus xx. 8 — 11. 

"Remember the sabbath-day to keep it holy: Six days 
shalt thou labour, and do all thy work : But the seventh 
day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God : in it thou shalt 
not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, 
thy mau-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, 
nor thy stranger that is within thy gates ; For in six 
days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all 
that in them is, and rested the seventh day : wherefore 
the Lord blessed the sabbath-day, and hallowed it." 

Thts precept assumes the right of God to be 
openly acknowledged by his creatures, in suitable 
expressions of homage and acts of worship, and 
requires the sanctification of a seventh portion of 
time to this end. The general principle on which 
the command proceeds, is summed up in one 
word, " This people have I formed for myself; 
they shall show forth my praise." 

I. The first question which requires to be set- 
tled in expounding this command, relates to the 
perpetuity of the obligation. It is sometimes said 
that the law of the Sabbath appertains only to the 
Mosaic Economy, and was abrogated along with 
it ; and that as there is no renewed command for 



THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT, 



79 



its observance in the New Testament, it is not 
now of Divine obligation, however it may be a 
matter of human expediency, or Christian advan- 
tage. It is thought, on the other hand, that the 
perpetual Divine obligation may be clearly shown ; 
and in proof of this the following considerations 
are offered : 

1. The moral nature of the institution im- 
plies it. 

It is not merely positive, having no foundation 
in the nature of things, but originating wholly in 
the appointment of God, constituting that a duty 
which would not otherwise have been so. To 
perceive this, it is only necessary to give a slight 
degree of attention to that which is required ; it is 
the open acknowledgment of the Divine claims, in 
such religious services as he may appoint. It is 
unquestionably the duty of men to worship God 
irrespective of any command to this effect ; and it 
is equally their duty to worship him as his nature 
and perfections demand, " in spirit and in truth." 
They must consequently devote to this object such 
portion of time as may be necessary for the 
suitable discharge of the duty, both as it regards 
the advantage to be reaped by themselves, and 
the honour to accrue to his name. Thus to serve 
God, is a moral duty. It is simply the homage 
which is due to his being and authority ; and the 
obligation to pay it rests equally on all mankind. 
When the law was given, it was not more the 
duty of a Jew, than it was of a Gentile, and it is 
at this hour equally the duty of every man to 
celebrate the perfections of God, and to acknow- 



80 THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 

ledge, with corresponding emotions, and in due 
expressions, his obligations to the great Supreme. 
Further ; The nature and advantages of social ex- 
istence require the social acknowledgment of the 
claims and glory of God ; the worship of God by 
a family is a natural obligation ; and in a com- 
munity where all are united in a common re- 
lation, and derive common advantages, it is not 
less their duty, and on the same common princi- 
ples, to unite in his worship. This again implies 
the separation of some portion of time to the 
object; and the portion so separated must be 
adequate to the occasion, such as will most effec- 
tually secure the right discharge of the duty. The 
obligation to public worship, then, is inseparable 
from the public relations in which the members of 
a community severally stand to each other, and 
each to the whole. God is a common Father, 
and common benefits demand one general tribute 
of praise. The proportion of time, is therefore 
the only thing left to arbitrary determination. 
This God has mercifully fixed, appointing one 
day in seven to be thus employed. Without such 
an appointment, men would never have agreed as 
to the right proportion ; and therefore there 
never would have been any union of service ; or 
if, by any chance, they had agreed, as under 
some circumstances, such as the commencement 
of the new world, when there were but eight 
persons, it is barely possible that they might ; 
their arrangements would have wanted authority, 
and some would soon have disregarded it. That 
there is nothing purely moral in the exact propor- 



THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 81 

tion determined upon is admitted; i. e. for aught 
we know to the contrary, it might have been as 
properly a fifth or a tenth, instead of a seventh. 
But the determination is that of Infinite Wisdom, 
and we cannot suppose that God was not actuated 
by moral reasons ; we feel, therefore, that it is 
the best proportion which could have been se- 
lected; and that the terms moral and positive, 
have not so much to do with God's appointments, 
considered in themselves, as with our modes of 
viewing them. Now, at least, that we know 
the best mode of discharging the obligation to 
which our natural circumstances and common 
relations bind us, the adoption of that mode is as 
much a moral duty, as if the proportion of time 
had been necessarily involved in the nature of 
the obligation itself, or had been discovered by the 
experimental inquiries of men, anxious to dis- 
charge that obligation. It were easy to show, 
further, that every end contemplated by the law 
of the Sabbath, is a moral one, of universal ap- 
plication and benefit ; but it is unnecessary ; 
having shown that the thing required is of moral 
obligation, and that what is positive in the com- 
mand, is so of necessity, since God alone could 
determine it ; it only remains to state that this 
law being moral, is of perpetual obligation; — 
It regulates the expression of that love to God 
which all admit to be a universal duty. 

2. The argument for the perpetuity is further 
inferred from the original appointment of the 
Sabbath. 

The opening language of the fourth com- 



82 



THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT, 



mandment plainly contemplates the Sabbath as 
already in existence. It does not require some- 
thing new, but demands continued attention to 
something old ; " Remember the sabbath- day." 
It refers us back to the original appointment. 
This took place in Eden ; and the design was to 
commemorate the completion of the work of crea- 
tion, and the glorious rest of God when he viewed 
with complacency the works he had made. To 
say that the historian speaks proleptically of the 
Jewish Sabbath, is utterly at variance with every 
principle of sound criticism, and every necessary 
property of faithful history, not to say, of Divine 
Revelation. " The sabbath was made for man," 
as man, and the duties to which it obliges are 
common to all men ; the record is, " On the 
seventh day God ended his work which he had 
made ; and he rested on the seventh day from all 
his work which he had made. And God blessed 
the seventh day, and sanctified it ; because that 
in it he had rested from all his work which God 
created and made." It had not to do, therefore, 
with any dispensation sepai'ately taken, but with 
man and his posterity. It may be added, that 
there is no way of accounting for the division of 
time into weeks of seven days, which has pre- 
vailed from the beginning, but by admitting the 
fact that the Sabbath was appointed from the 
beginning. 

3. The terms in which the observance of the 
Sabbath is enjoined in the fourth commandment, 
deserve notice in this inquiry. 

Exceptions have been taken to the moral cha- 



THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 83 

racter of the fourth commandment, as if its sole 
design was to appoint the seventh day as the 
Sabbath. There appears to be considerable mis- 
take on this point ; since it only appoints the 
proportion of time, and assumes a knowledge of 
the particular day, or leaves this to be otherwise 
determined. Mark the language; <f Remember 
the sabbath- day," not the seventh day, " to keep 
it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all 
thy work ; but the seventh day," the day after 
six days of labour, " is the sabbath of the Lord 
thy God ;" " for in six days the Lord made 
heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them 
is, and rested the seventh day ; wherefore the 
Lord blessed the sabbath-day, and hallowed it." 
The spirit of the precept is, Remember the obli- 
gation to devote every seventh day, after six days 
of worldly labour, to the public acknowledgment 
of the glory and claims of the Lord your God, and 
observe it in this manner, by abstinence from 
certain worldly employments, and pursuit of 
certain religious objects. The command there- 
fore is moral, implying and recognising a perpe- 
tual obligation, and awakening attention to it; 
the particular day of the week is to be learnt from 
other sources. A question arises here, Was the 
Sabbath known to the Israelites at the time when 
the law of Sinai was given ? It is replied, Yes ; 
for although the traces of its continued observ- 
ance from the beginning are not numerous, yet 
they are sufficient ; the frequent reference to 
seven days, as a division of time, and this often 
in connexion with religion, cannot otherwise be ex- 



84 THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 

plained; but besides this, there is one striking fact 
in proof of the observance of the Sabbath by the 
Israelites, prior to the giving of the law, and the 
incidental recital of the fact, and without any 
note of explanation, but regarding it as a simple 
matter of course, strengthens greatly the import- 
ance and value of the proof ; it occurs Exod. xvi. 
22 — 30. ; and it proves both the general knowledge 
of the Sabbath, and the observance of the day ap- 
pointed at the beginning. " And it came to pass, 
that on the sixth day, they gathered twice as 
much bread, two omers for one man : and all the 
rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 
And he said unto them, This is that which 
the Lord hath said, To-morrow is the rest of the 
holy sabbath unto the Lord ; bake that which ye 
will bake to-day, and seethe that ye will seethe ; 
and that which remaineth over, lay up for you to 
be kept until the morning. And they laid it up 
till the morning, as Moses bade : and it did not 
stink, neither was there any worm therein. And 
Moses said, eat that to-day; for to-day is a sab- 
bath unto the Lord ; for to-day ye shall not find it 
in the field. Six days ye shall gather it ; but on 
the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there 
shall be none. And it came to pass, that there 
went out some of the people on the seventh day 
for to gather, and they found none. And the 
Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to 
keep my commandments and my laws ? See, for 
that the Lord hath given you the sabbath, there- 
fore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of 
two days ; abide ye every man in his place, let 



THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 85 

no man go out of his place on the seventh day. 
So the people rested on the seventh day." 

4. The place occupied by this commandment, 
gives additional strength to this argument. 

On the supposition that the law of the Sabbath 
belonged only to the Mosaic Economy, it is more 
than strange to find it in the very midst of the 
Decalogue ; had it been at the beginning or at 
the end, it might have been more easily consi- 
dered an interpolation. All the other nine pre- 
cepts are admitted to be universally binding, and 
that this is the genuine tenth, no one disputes. 
It was given under the same solemn circum- 
stances ; it is included in the number of command- 
ments, so often spoken of as the Law of God, by 
way of eminence, and as distinguished from the 
ceremonial institutes of Moses ; like all the rest, 
it was twice written by the finger of God on the 
tables of stone, and by his command deposited in 
the ark. Is it supposable, then, that there is 
nothing moral in its nature, nor universal in its 
aspect, nor perpetual in its obligation ? Who 
will dare to charge on God such an anomaly ? 

5. Various passages of Scripture distinctly 
imply the perpetuity of the Sabbath. 

The following prophecy by Isaiah may be first 
instanced ; it can be explained only of the New 
Testament Dispensation, and it speaks of the ob- 
servance of the Sabbath, and of its continued 
separation to the public worship of God, ch. lvi. 
6 — 8. " Also the sons of the stranger, that join 
themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love 
the name of the Lord, to be his servants, every 



86 



THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 



one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, 
and taketh hold of my covenant ; even them will 
I bring to my holy mountain, and make them 
joyful in my house of prayer : their burnt offer- 
ings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon 
mine altar, for mine house shall be called a 
house of prayer for all people. The Lord Gcd 
which gathereth the outcasts of Israel, saith, 
Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that 
are gathered unto him." 

In the following passage too from the Psalms, 
cxviii. 19 — 26; a passage expressly applied to 
Christ and Christianity in the New Testament ; 
the observance of the Sabbath as a day set apart 
to the service and worship of God, is distinctly 
spoken of. <c Open to me the gates of righteous- 
ness ; I will go into them, and I will praise the 
Lord : this gate of the Lord, into which the 
righteous shall enter. I will praise thee, for thou 
hast heard me, and art become my salvation. 
The stone which the builders refused is become 
the head- stone of the corner. This is the Lord's 
doing ; it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the 
day which the Lord hath made ; we will rejoice 
and be glad in it. Save now, I beseech thee, 
O Lord. O Lord, I beseech thee, send now 
prosperity. Blessed be he that cometh in the 
name of the Lord : we have blessed you out of 
the house of the Lord." 

Our Lord Jesus Christ says, " The sabbath was 
made for man;" not for Jew or Gentile ; not for 
the patriarch, not for the Christian, but for man. 
And when addressing his disciples on the ap- 



THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 87 

proaching calamities of Judsea, he spake of the 
continued observance of the Sabbath, saying to 
them, " Pray ye, that your flight be not in the 
winter, nor on the sabbath-day." Other New 
Testament passages will come under notice below. 
These are sufficient to show that the Scriptures 
by their general tenor, regard the Sabbath as a 
perpetual institution. 

II. A second point to be settled, is the authority 
for the observance of the first day of the week as 
the New Testament Sabbath. 

The original appointment was, as we have seen, 
of the seventh day, " because that in it God had 
rested from all his work which he had created 
and made." The same day of the week was re- 
appointed under the Mosaic economy, with this 
more special object ; " remember that thou wast 
a stranger in the land of Egypt, and that the 
Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a 
mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm ; there- 
fore the Lord thy God commandeth thee to keep 
the sabbath day." This new object did not 
destroy the binding force of the original one ; for 
it can never cease to be the duty of intelligent 
creatures to commemorate the perfections of God 
as displayed in his works ; but it showed that 
there might be some changes as to the particular 
observance, whilst the moral character of the 
general obligation remained the same. It is dis- 
tinctly taught in the prophets, that this special 
object of commemoration should not always be 
perpetuated as the thing of chief importance ; 
but that it should give place to another, even 
i 2 



88 THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 

whilst the Jewish peculiarities were perpetuated. 
Jer. xvi. 14, 15. " Therefore, behold the days 
come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be 
said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the chil- 
dren of Israel out of the land of Egypt ; but the 
Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel 
from the land of the north, and from all the lands 
whither he had driven them : and I will bring 
them again into their land that I gave unto their 
fathers." 

We have already seen that there is nothing in 
the fourth commandment itself, perpetuating the 
obligation of any particular day. The original 
design is equally gained by observing any day 
which occurs after an interval of six days' labour, 
and the spirit of the fourth command accords 
therewith. The change made in the commence- 
ment of the Jewish year, to secure a religious 
regard to their national separation, is a case in 
which we have a special accommodation, so to 
speak, of moral obligation to particular circum- 
stances ; such as is supposed to be the case in 
the observance of the first day to celebrate the 
finishing of the work of redemption. — Besides, 
they who are so scrupulous about the day, forget 
that the frame of the world renders it impossible 
for the whole of its inhabitants to keep one 
identical day. It is said, that there is no express 
precept appointing the first day of the week as 
the Christian sabbath. To this, which is the 
fact, it is replied, that the mind and will of God, 
concerning any duty to be performed by us, may 
be sufficiently revealed in his word, without a 



THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 



89 



particular precept, in so many terms, enjoining 
it. It is sufficient that we can ascertain the fact 
that the change from the seventh day to the first, 
was effected under his authority ; the mode in 
which we should be made acquainted with this fact, 
it was his sole prerogative to determine. 

The circumstances of the proof then, are shortly 
these : — the historian of the Acts of the Apostles 
plainly teaches, that the first Christians assembled 
together for Divine worship on the first day of 
the week, the day of the resurrection of the Lord 
Jesus Christ. Paul passing from Philippi to Jeru- 
salem touched at Troas, and seems to have stayed 
there seven days, in order that he might be with 
the church on the sabbath, ch. xx. 6, 7. " And 
we sailed away from Philippi after the days of 
unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas 
in five days ; where we abode seven days. And 
upon the first day of the week, when the dis- 
ciples came together to break bread, Paul preached 
unto them, ready to depart on the morrow, and 
continued his speech until midnight." Two similar 
instances are mentioned, for which it is difficult 
to account on any other principle : " Finding dis- 
ciples" (says Luke) " we tarried there seven days," 
namely at Tyre; and again at Puteoli, ' 'Where 
we found brethren, and were desired to tarry with 
them seven days : and so we went toward Rome," 
ch. xxi. 4 ; xxviii. 14. The apostle writing to 
the Corinthians exhorts them to make the first 
day of every week the day for casting into the 
treasury (Orjaavpi^tov), according as they might 
have prospered ; and he urges as a reason for 
i 3 



90 



THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 



this arrangement that he has given like directions 
to other churches ; nor must it be overlooked that 
in the same epistle, he commends the disciples 
for " keeping the ordinances as he had delivered 
them unto them/' and declares that " That which 
he had received of the Lord, he had delivered 
unto them." The name, " Lord's-day," occurring, 
Rev. i. 10, shows that the particular day spoken 
of was then well known by this appellation, and 
can be fairly interpreted only of the day set apart 
for his glory and worship, who is so often styled 
" the Lord," in the New Testament ; as the 
phrase the Lord's Supper designates the ordinance 
for celebrating the death of the Lord Jesus. The 
apostles acted under the authority of Jesus who 
is " Lord also of the sabbath ;" they were endowed 
with the Spirit of God that they might rightly 
establish the faith and order of the churches ; it 
is plain that they were very careful not to sanction 
any practice in the churches which were not sup- 
ported by the authority of Christ ; they plainly 
did sanction the observance of the first day of 
the week as a sabbath ; it cannot, therefore, be 
questioned that the change took place under 
their direction, for the observance of the first-day 
sabbath has been universal from the apostolic 
age. Various collateral circumstances confirm this 
conclusion. The apostles declare the abrogation 
of the Jewish sabbath, classing it with new- 
moons, and holy- days. Our Lord lay in the 
grave during the Jewish sabbath, at which time 
the church could not rejoice on God's holy day ; 
and he honoured the first day of the week by his 



THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 91 

various appearances to his apostles after his re- 
surrection, and by the gift of the Holy Ghost 
after his ascension. The tenderness in all respects 
shewn to Jewish scruples at the commencement 
of Christianity, designed doubtless, amongst other 
ends, to teach an impressive lesson of mutual for- 
bearance, suggests an adequate reason for the 
comparative silence of the New Testament on this 
particular point. To these general statements, it 
is to be added that the language of the 118th 
Psalm, quoted above, as cited by Peter, Acts iv. 
11, 12, must be considered as an express pre- 
diction that the day of our Lord's resurrection 
would be the New Testament sabbath. The apostle 
cites the 2 2d verse of the Psalm, and applies it 
to Jesus; "This is the stone which was set at 
nought of you builders, which is become the head 
of the corner." The Psalm proceeds " this is the 
Lord's doing ; it is marvellous in our eyes. This 
is the day which the Lord hath made ; we will 
rejoice and be glad in it." In what other sense 
can it be said of any particular day, that the 
Lord hath made it, than in that of separation to 
a special and sacred object ; and of what day can 
it be spoken, but of that on which was consummated 
the work of redemption and the glory of Christ ? 
Some eminent men think that the passage re- 
specting the " rest," or sabbath keeping which 
occurs in Heb. iv. 1 — 11, is mainly designed to 
prove the first-day sabbath. Be this as it may 
(the passage is confessedly difficult), the argu- 
ment implies the perpetuity of the sabbath, from 
which an allusion is borrowed to set forth the 



92 THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 

glory of the heavenly rest, and to stimulate to the 
pursuit of it. 

III. Having then proved the perpetual obliga- 
tion of the sabbath, and furnished an outline of the 
argument on which the authority of the first-day 
sabbath depends, we now proceed to state the 
nature of the Holy Rest in which the Divine 
claims are to be acknowledged. 

This command does not suppose that the other 
six days of the week are to be so employed about 
w T orldly things as to exclude religious services. 
The glory of God must be sought, and the worship 
of God presented every day. We are commanded 
to £f pray without ceasing, and in everything give 
thanks. " We are to be " diligent in business, fer- 
vent in spirit, serving the Lord;" and every pious 
man, and every pious family will so arrange their 
worldly business as to find some portions of time 
every day to devote immediately to the service of 
God. But the sabbath is appointed as a day for 
God, over and above all the time which is employed 
in his service on other days, to be entirely and ex- 
clusively employed in acts of religion. A day is 
to be kept holy : not spent in idleness, but employed 
in active piety ; a whole day ; not a few hours only 
which may be spent in public, or a day made as 
short as it can be, by a late commencement and 
an early close, but a seventh portion of our time ; 
a day as long as any active day of business,— as 
large a proportion of the twenty-four hours as our 
nature duly trained to the work of God and rightly 
aided in it can give. If God love mercy, and not 
sacrifice, this should stimulate us to the most 



THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 93 

zealous and active energy in his service, and not 
be made an excuse for indolence and sin. Isaiah 
has thus described the spirit in which the sabbath 
should be kept ; " If thou run away thy foot from 
the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy 
day : and call the sabbath a delight, the holy 
of the Lord, honourable ; and shalt honour him, 
not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own 
pleasure, nor speaking thine own words ; then 
shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord." And 
John says, " I was in the spirit on the Lord's 
day into this spirit we now inquire. — Its cha- 
racteristic features are : — 

!. Cessation from every thing secular and 
worldly. 

Not only does this command forbid that which 
is in itself, and on every day sinful, but also the 
employments and pleasures which are lawful on 
other days ; from which we are commanded to 
cease that we may have a day in which publicly 
to express our regard to God. This prohibition 
relates to the soul as well as to the body ; it 
applies to all stations and circumstances of life ; 
and, it has to do with all the business, and with 
all the pleasure of the world. No worldly business 
is to be transacted ; no conversation on worldly 
business is to be indulged ; no plans for its pro- 
secution are on the sabbath to be laid ; no thoughts 
respecting it are willingly to be cherished ; no 
entrenchment on the sacred hours is to be allowed, 
by protracting the business of Saturday to so late 
a period, as to interfere with the repose which 
should prepare for the sabbath ; and no portion 



94 THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 

of the day is to be made a convenience to, or to 
be occupied in arrangements for the business of the 
Monday. In the kitchen, and in the parlour; — in 
the house, and in the field ; in the walks of science, 
as well as in the labours of mechanical life ; at 
home and abroad, we must cease from our own 
works ; and the cessation must be total, that our 
sons, and our daughters, our servants, and our 
cattle, may rest as well as we. The like remarks 
apply to worldly pleasure ; whether it be the 
gratification of the eye, or of the ear, or of the 
appetite ; whether it be individual enjoyment, or 
social festivity. However innocent may be the 
recreation on another day, or however important 
the object of pursuit, it is never to be forgotten 
that religion is the business of the sabbath ; and 
that whatever is not included in the acknowledg- 
ment of God's claims, and required in due attention 
to them, is sinful on God's day. 

An exception is of course to be taken for all 
works of necessity ; such as the feeding and taking 
care of cattle ; but this must not be made an 
excuse for the neglect of religion ; — the provision 
of such moderate sustenance as shall support and 
assist the animal frame in the exercises of religion ; 
but every thing more than is necessary to this end 
is sinful ; the sabbath is a holy fast, not a carnal 
festival ; — the attentions required by the sick ; but 
this again must not unnecessarily interfere with 
the religious exercises of the day ; nor must 
advantage be taken of the day to do that under 
cover of necessity which might, and therefore 
ought to be done on another day. The old rule 



THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 95 

is a good one, that which cannot be done on a 
Saturday, nor left undone until Monday, may be 
done on the sabbath. The plea of necessity which 
is founded on the circumstance of saving time for 
worldly business, is one of the most aggravated 
violations of this precept. It is to rob God of 
that which is his, in order to save what is our 
own, and is condemned by our Lord, when he 
says, " He that will save his life, shall lose it." 

An exception may sometimes require to be 
taken also in reference to those persons in sub- 
ordinate and dependent stations, who may not be 
able to do as they would in this respect. These 
parties should never forget, however, that they 
are bound to do all they can to secure in them- 
selves a due observance of the sabbath. A little 
prudent foresight and contrivance, will often do 
much to abate the evil of which they may justly 
complain, and increase to them the rest of the 
sabbath; and what cannot be mitigated or avoided, 
must be patiently endured. At the same time, if 
such persons have the opportunity of freeing them- 
selves from the circumstances that require the 
breach of the sabbath, it is their duty to avail 
themselves of it. 

The instances in which these claims of the sab- 
bath are disregarded, are too numerous and diver- 
sified to admit of specification. From the highest 
circles in the land, where there have been cabinet 
councils, and cabinet dinners on the Lord's day, 
to the lowest cottagers who receive the Sunday 
newspaper, and convert the day of God into a 
season of dissipation and riotous discussion of the 



96 



THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 



politics of the times, through all the intervening 
grades and classes of society, business in its 
varied forms usurps the place of religion, and de- 
secrates the day of God. The streets of our cities, 
and the lanes of our villages are alike crowded 
with men, women, and children, who on foot, 
and on horseback, and in all kinds of vehicles, 
seek their own pleasure on God's holy day ; and 
even our rivers are not exempted from furnishing 
their quota of sabbath amusement. Nor are the 
professors of religion free from guilt in this matter. 
Whilst some make a worldly convenience of reli- 
gion, and of the sabbath, and are ever ready with 
a frivolous excuse for their neglect of its ordi- 
nances, and others are running continually after 
some new thing, many are sanctioning the evil by 
their worldly conformity, and by most it is con- 
templated with no small share of indifference and 
unconcern. 

2. Cultivation of personal and family religion. 

Cessation from worldly business and pleasure is 
the mere negative observance of the day. There 
are those who do this, and yet lounge away the 
day in idleness, or employ it in general reading, 
or social frivolity, and are equally guilty of treat- 
ing it irreligiously. The day is to be employed in 
the cultivation of religious knowledge and impres- 
sion. The Bible is to be studied, that the mind 
and will of God may be known. Prayer is to be 
offered, that by communion with God every Divine 
principle may be strengthened. Praise is to be 
tendered for the mercies which are enjoyed. The 
mind is to be occupied in meditating on the great 



THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 97 

truths of God ; and the state of the heart is to be 
subjected to strict examination. For whilst the 
other days of the week are so occupied with 
worldly pursuits as to leave but little time for 
religion, the sabbath is expressly instituted for 
purposes of holy fasting and prayer, that full 
attention may be given to the claims of the soul, 
and of eternity. 

Family religion should also be sedulously cul- 
tivated on the sabbath. The exercises of family 
worship may be longer, and the instruction of the 
children more full, and on this day only religious. 
Set religious services in the family on the sabbath 
are highly valuable ; they are exactly in the spirit 
of the day, and have often been greatly honoured 
and blessed of God. It may be fairly questioned 
how far the almost universal introduction of ser- 
mons on the Lord's day evenings instead of the 
afternoon, and the numerous and various walks of 
active usefulness into which the young are carried 
out, have really compensated for the loss of that 
systematic and familiar instruction of which our 
fathers have told us as characteristic of their sab- 
bath evenings at home. 

3. Observance of the ordinances of public 
worship. 

- This is the grand object of the day, for which 
all the private exercises of religion should prepare, 
and to which every thing in the arrangements of 
the day should be subordinated. On this day, 
the assemblies of the church are to be convened, 
and the ordinances of its public worship celebrated 
according to Christ's appointment. United prayer 

K 



98 THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 

and praise, the public reading and exposition of 
the sacred word, and the communion of the Lord's 
Table, are the services in which this day is to be 
devoted to the glory of God. The frequency with 
which these assemblies shall be convened, and the 
specific order in which their worship shall be con- 
ducted, are points which are left to be determined 
by general circumstances. 

It is equally required by this command that 
these various ordinances be observed in a proper 
spirit. It is not the outward formality, but the 
inward devotion of the heart that renders them 
acceptable to God. The attention that is required 
is a holy attention, conscientious in principle, 
regular in habit, devout in manner, and cheerful 
in spirit. Entrance into God s house after the 
worship has begun ; levity, inattention, formality, 
conversation, sleeping during the period of its 
continuance ; and needless departure before the 
service has closed, are alike incompatible with 
the holiness that becometh the house and service 
of Jehovah. 

4. Efforts to do good to the souls of men. 

The sabbath is perpetuated for the propagation 
as well as the improvement of religion. On it, 
the ignorant and those who are out of the way 
are to be instructed in the things that pertain to the 
kingdom of heaven, every opportunity is to be 
seized, and every variety of effort employed in 
order to this end. Whether, therefore, the young 
may be taught to read and understand the word 
of God, or the careless of matured age, invited to 
attend the ministry of the sanctuary ; or the sab- 



THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 



99 



bath-breaker warned of the danger of his career ; 
or the Gospel preached to them who have not 
heard it, the command requires the employment 
of these efforts, and it is broken by the neglect of 
them. 

IV. Special injunctions commend this precept 
to our obedience. 

1. Authority is delegated respecting its ob- 
servance . 

It is addressed to heads of families, who are 
commanded to keep holy the day, and to see that 
it is kept by their respective households. The 
children are not to be allowed to break its holy 
rest by their play, or by pursuing their general 
education on this day ; much less, by their need- 
less absence from public worship when capable 
of attending it ; but they are to be trained in that 
religious regard to the day which comports with 
its design, and employed in those studies, and in 
those only which directly tend to promote their 
piety. The servants are not to be allowed, much 
less, required to violate its sanctity by unnecessary 
work, or by taking their own pleasure on God's 
day, or by absenting themselves from public wor- 
ship. Their cessation from worldly labour must 
be as complete as circumstances will admit, and 
their opportunities of spiritual improvement as 
numerous as they can with propriety be made. 
The command speaks also of cattle. These must 
not be employed for any purposes of worldly 
business or carnal pleasure ; but only to aid the 
works of piety and mercy, which are the great 
object of the day. Yea, to strangers also the 
k 2 



100 THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 



precept reaches ; and certainly forbids the enter- 
taining on this day of such persons as will not 
conform to the established order of a pious family, 
and concur in its movements for the Divine glory. 
It requires us to conduct them to the house of 
prayer, and to furnish them with the means of 
sanctifying the day according to God's appoint- 
ment. 

The question as to the right of the civil magis- 
trate to interfere in the observance of the sabbath, 
is of somewhat difficult solution. His office is poli- 
tical, not religious. Tf he meddle with religion r 
so far as to enforce attention to its services by 
civil penalties, he steps out of his province, and 
brings religion into contempt by reducing it to a 
mere matter of worldly legislation. His sole 
province, is to protect his subjects in the free 
and undisturbed discharge of their religious duties. 
If under any cir cumstances he can proceed beyond 
this, it is to secure the leisure of a day in a state 
where a decided majority of the citizens demand 
it. As a man, the weight of his example and 
influence are properly employed to enforce religious 
practices ; but these are the moral means by which 
every pious man is bound to seek the due obser- 
vance of the day. 

2 . Attention is demanded to the claims of the 
sabbath. 

The opening word of the commandment be- 
speaks attention ; " Remember the sabbath day to 
keep it holy." — Prepare for it on Saturday, by 
such previous arrangement of all worldly matters 
as shall leave the mind undisturbed, and by such 



THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 101 

season of retirement as shall cherish the spirit of 
devotion in which its hours should be spent. — 
Rise early on the sabbath morning ; that its first 
and best moments may be sanctified to God, and 
that the religion of the closet may give a high 
tone of piety to the worship of the sanctuary. — 
Maintain a spirit of holy watchfulness during its 
progress ; that no irreverent levity may displace 
the spirit of holy fellowship, nor any seductive 
temptation withdraw the affections from the Lord 
of the sabbath. — Close the day w T ell ; by reviewing 
its engagements, recalling its instructions, and 
renewing its impressions ; by repenting of its sins, 
repeating its petitions, and recording its resolu- 
tions ; — close it, in solemn thanksgivings for its 
distinguishing privileges, and in a devout effort 
to maintain the sense of its holy obligation. 

3. Obedience is enforced by solemn sanctions. 

The example of God is to be imitated. " He 
finished his work which he created and made, 
and rested on the seventh day." — The authority 
of God is to be obeyed. " He blessed the sab- 
bath day, and sanctified it." — The completion of 
the work of redemption is to be celebrated ; for 
" Jesus has entered into rest, having ceased from 
his work, as God also ceased from his." — The 
heavenly rest is to be anticipated with humble 
faith and holy fear. " Let us, therefore, labour 
to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the 
Jewish example of unbelief." 



k 3 



THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 



Exodus xx. 12. 

" Honour thy father and thy mother : that thy days may be 
long upon the land, which the Lord thy God giveth 
thee." 

This commandment commences the second Table 
of the Law, which comprehensively declares our 
duty to ourselves and our fellow-men, and is 
summed up by our Saviour in this word, " Thou 
shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." 

This first precept of the Second Table assumes the 
existence of the various relations of human society, 
and requires the right exercise of, and a proper 
regard to that authority which God has delegated 
to man in the several relations of human life ; of 
which the parental relation is naturally selected 
as the pattern. It is thus summed up by the 
New Testament, " Render therefore to all their 
dues ; tribute to whom tribute is due ; custom to 
whom custom, fear to whom fear, honour to whom 
honour." This latitude of interpretation has been 
called in question ; but it seems fully warranted. 
It is nothing more than the application to this 
command of the general principles upon which 
our Lord interpreted other precepts of the deca- 



THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 



103 



logue, and especially those of the Second Table. 
It is implied in the general summary of this 
table, " Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself,'' 
and the parable of the good Samaritan teaches us 
in what sense our Lord would have us to under- 
stand the term neighbour. This mode of ex- 
planation is necessary to the perfection of the 
law ; for if this precept do not admit of application 
to the several superior and subordinate relations 
of society, the decalogue has no precept which 
regulates them. The selection of the parental 
relation as a specimen of the rest is natural and 
proper. It is that on which we first enter, and 
the endearing obligations of which we feel almost 
from the very commencement of our life ; and 
the spirit of this relation is that of consistent 
regard to every other : and by it men naturally 
judge of what is due to them in all relations. It is 
further worthy of remark, that the term Father 
is used in the Scriptures with considerable latitude 
being applied to almost every class of superior 
claims. Besides its most common and obvious 
reference, it is applied to superiors in age ; "Rebuke 
not an elder, but intreat him as a father — to 
superiors in gifts ; " Jabal was the father of hus- 
bandmen, and Jubal the father of musicians ;" — - 
to benefactors or superiors in usefulness ; Joseph 
says, " God hath made me a father to Pharaoh — - 
to superiors in station, as masters or heads of 
households ; thus Naaman's servants said to him, 
" My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some 
great thing, wouldest thou not have done it ?" — 
to superiors in office, as public instructors, thus 




104 



THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 



Elisha exclaimed at the ascent of Elijah, " My 
father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the 
horsemen thereof ;" — to superiors in authority, as 
magistrates ; hence it is said of Eliakim, " He 
shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem/' — 
It being plain then that the fifth commandment is 
rightly viewed as a general directory of duty in 
all cases where mutual claims are implied, atten- 
tion is due to the principles on which the com- 
mand proceeds, the obedience required, and the 
promise annexed. 

L The principles on which the fifth command- 
ment rests. 

Man is formed for society. By the very con- 
stitution of his nature, he is a social being ; and a 
variety of circumstances become the basis of 
mutual relations between man and man. The 
Creator formed man male and female, and thus 
originates the relation of husband and wife. The 
law of the propagation of our species gives birth 
to the relation of parent and child, and the suc- 
cessive operations of this law, to that of brother 
and sister. The multiplication of families, spread- 
ing over the face of a certain locality, and natu- 
rally becoming useful or prejudicial to each other, 
renders necessary some form of civil or political 
government, founded on the adoption of certain 
mutually recognised regulations for the preserva- 
tion of the general purity and peace. The several 
varieties of human circumstances have their cor- 
responding claims. Age has experience which 
gives it authority, and youth dependence which 
originates obligation. Natural talents, whether 

1 



THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 105 

of body or mind, gain an ascendency in society 
proportioned to the vigour of their character, and 
the correctness of their appropriation ; and men- 
tal acquirements raise man above his fellows, 
according to the degree of their eminence and 
utility. Wealth is always power, and superior 
rank or station confers corresponding influence. 
The accumulation of capital gives superiority, and 
requires the employment of those who are in 
inferior stations, and the application of their 
power to help others, is to themselves a source of 
maintenance and happiness. Thus the social 
character of man originates relations, all of which 
beget a mutual dependence and obligation. 

This connexion amongst men is of Divine 
appointment. It is the immediate result of his 
purpose and plan ; and, if on the one hand, the 
arrangement present a striking manifestation of 
his sovereignty, teaching us in all its depart- 
ments, that " the potter hath power over the clay, 
of the same lump to make one vessel unto 
honour, and another to dishonour ;" nothing, on 
the other hand, could furnish a more interesting 
illustration of his wisdom, in adapting the means 
to the end, and in providing for the mutual ad- 
vantage and happiness of men ; for God has so 
put the frame- work of human society together, that 
all the parts are necessary ; the strong cannot do 
without the weak, nor the weak without the 
strong : and so universal is the sympathy which 
pervades the whole, that it is impossible to say in 
what variety of outward circumstances, the pre- 
ponderance of human happiness lies. 



106 THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 

To these natural relations, God has added 
others, which arise out of the peculiarities of his 
moral government, as he has now adapted that 
government to the fallen condition of men. Such 
are those which subsist between the teachers of 
religion, and the taught ; between " the partakers 
of the benefit," who believe in Jesus, and those 
who do not repent and turn to God in obedience 
to his Gospel. 

In all these varied relations, the same principle 
of mutual claim and obligation obtains ; and the 
rule of its exercise is its application to parents 
and children. 

The pattern of conformity is the parental rela- 
tion of God himself ; his authority in his govern- 
ment, on the one hand, and the required spirit of 
subjection to him in his creatures, on the other. 
The former is marked by a universal superintend- 
ance and special direction, by a tender care and 
an ample provision, by kind instruction and faith- 
ful correction, which are to be copied by all who 
are in superiority and authority amongst men ; 
and the latter is properly comprised in one word, 
"Honour," including Reverence and Love, Obe- 
dience and Gratitude. 

The end immediately contemplated in this 
Divine arrangement, and following obedience to 
this command, is the well-being of individuals, 
and the settled order of society ; " that it may be 
well with thee, and that thou mayest live long on 
the earth." 

It may be further observed here, that these 
general remarks apply to the whole of the Second 



THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 107 

Table ; and that obedience to it is inseparable 
from a due regard to the First Table, and consti- 
tutes the proof of obedience to it. li If any man 
love God, he will love his brother also and 
on the contrary, " If a man love not his brother 
whom he hath seen, how shall he love God whom 
he hath not seen ?" No pretensions, therefore, 
to the religious character required in the four 
commands of the First Table, are any farther 
valid than they are supported by conformity to 
the six precepts of the Second; and, on the 
other hand, no regard paid to the precepts of the 
Second Table is acceptable to God any further 
than it is based on the supreme love required by 
the First, and breathes the spirit of obedience to 
God whose authority reigns in the whole. The 
two tables are equally binding ; obedience to the 
one cannot therefore be substituted for obedience 
to the other. 

II. The obedience required by the fifth com- 
mandment, must be set forth under the several 
relationships into which human society is divided. 

1. The first and most intimate of human rela- 
tions, is the conjugal relation, or that subsisting 
between man and wife. 

Here at least it will be admitted that the great 
principle of connexion and happiness is love. The 
authority of the husband is that of love, — love, 
which bears with the infirmities, provides for the 
necessities, protects the person, and delights in the 
fellowship of his wife ; and which induces him to 
behave towards her with the greatest prudence 
and tenderness : and the submission of the wife 



108 THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 



is that of love ; — love which leads her to help her 
husband in all matters to the extent of her ability, 
to reverence his opinion, and seek his comfort ; 
to cultivate the ornament of a meek and quiet 
spirit ; to bear patiently the cares and troubles of 
the marriage state, and to exercise all economy, 
and prudence in the management of domestic 
affairs. There is to be a oneness of feeling and 
plan, of object and effort, that nothing but love 
can produce, and in which every thing is to be 
subordinated to the glory of God, and the para- 
mount claims of eternity. The nature and obli- 
gations of this relation are thus stated: — " Wives, 
submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto 
the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, 
even as Christ is the head of the Church; and he is 
the Saviour of the body. Therefore, as the Church 
is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their 
own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love 
your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, 
and gave himself for it." " So ought mento love 
their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth 
his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet 
hated his own flesh ; but nourisheth and cherish- 
eth it even as the Lord the Church ; for we are 
members of his body, of his flesh, and of his 
bones. For this cause shall a man leave his 
father and mother, and shall be joined unto his 
wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a 
great mystery; but I speak concerning Christ 
and the Church. Nevertheless, let every one of 
you in particular so love his wife even as himself ; 
and the wife see that she reverence her husband." 



THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 



109 



Eph. v. 22, 23. " Likewise, ye wives, be in 
subjection to your own husbands : that, if any 
obey not the word, they also may without the 
word be won by the conversation of the wives ; 
while they behold your chaste conversation coupled 
with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that 
outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of 
wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; 
but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that 
which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a 
meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God 
of great price. For after this manner in the old 
time the holy women also, who trusted in God, 
adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their 
own husbands : even as Sara obeyed Abraham, 
calling him lord : whose daughters ye are, as long 
as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amaze- 
ment. Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them 
according to knowledge, giving honour unto the 
wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being 
heirs together of the grace of life ; that your 
prayers be not hindered." 1 Pet. iii. 1 — 7. 

Every thing contrary to this mutual esteem and 
regard to each other's welfare is of course for- 
bidden in this relation. All unkindness of thought, 
word, and act ; — all want of mutual confidence ; — 
all unnecessary interruption of mutual intercourse ; 
— and, all neglect in any way, or to any degree, of 
each other's just claims, must be considered trans- 
gressions of this command. 

This relation is abused, and the spirit of it lost 
sight of, when the influence of the one party over 
the other, is employed as an incentive to sin, as 



110 THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 



when " Jezebel stirred up Ahab to work iniquity 
when in order to its mutual enjoyment the 
means of grace are neglected, or the just claims 
of others on our fellowship and hospitality are 
slighted ; — in a word, when it is not held alto- 
gether subordinate to the glory of God, in the 
promotion of those objects, about which he requires 
our talents and our efforts. 

2. The parental relation, or that which subsists 
between children and their parents, is next re- 
gulated by this command. 

The duties of parents towards their children are 
such as these ; — they are to dedicate their chil- 
dren to God even from the womb. The babes of 
Israel were to be circumcised on the eighth day ; 
and Christians should not unnecessarily defer the 
solemn dedication of their seed to God, in the 
New Testament ordinance of Baptism. They 
should engage in it with gratitude and delight, 
and certainly not with less solemnity and devotion. 
— Tender care is to be taken of them in infancy. 
The woman should not forget her sucking child, or 
fail to have compassion on the son of her womb. 
Their helplessness should excite pity, and their 
sufferings demand relief. — Children are to be pro- 
vided for by their parents. " If any provide not 
for his own, and especially for those of his own 
house, he has denied the faith, and is worse than 
an infidel. " There may indeed be cases in which 
the parents cannot procure necessary support for 
their children ; the commandment requires that 
every possible means be tried in order thereto ; 
none must think to excuse himself by saving, " I 

! 



THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. Ill 

cannot dig ; to beg I am ashamed." — As soon as 
their opening reason renders them capable of re- 
ceiving instruction, parents are charged with the 
solemn responsibility of educating their children ; 
that is of training both their minds and bodies in 
such way as shall most eminently fit them for 
the station they are destined to occupy. Of this, 
the communication of Divine knowledge is to form 
the first and most important part. A holy effort 
to secure tenderness of conscience, holy impres- 
sions, and righteous conduct, must pervade and 
give the character to the whole process of educa- 
tion. Children must, therefore, be early and first 
taught to read the word of God, that from their 
childhood they may, like Timothy, " know the 
holy Scriptures, which are able to make wise 
unto salvation," and to this Divine book they are 
to be perpetually referred as the standard of all 
truth, and the rule of all acceptable practice. The 
truths of revelation must be explained to them as 
their capacity enlarges to understand them, and 
the precepts of God commended to their obe- 
dience ; especially must they be taught their guilty 
condition in God's sight, and encouraged and 
urged to repent of sin, and seek mercy by faith in 
Christ Jesus. The habit of prayer should very 
early be fostered. Even before its nature can be 
understood, it is important to teach the use of a 
form of words morning and evening, which may 
afterwards prove a directory in the offering up of 
their own desires. No pious parents will omit 
the important duties of family worship ; and to 
these services children must be brought ; they 
l 2 



112 



THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 



are the best preparation for the worship of the 
sanctuary. When the requisite habits of stillness 
have been acquired at the domestic altar, children 
should be regularly taken to the public services 
of the sanctuary, where their gracious connexion 
with the covenant of peace as administered in the 
Gospel will be shown them, and their hearts by 
God's blessing be won to its claims. From in- 
fancy, children should be taught to revere the 
sabbath. By the mere disallowing of the toys 
which please through the week, and the substitu- 
tion of a book in their place, an impression on 
behalf of the sabbath may be made even before 
the tongue can ask the reason of the distinction. 
" Train up a child in the way he should go, and 
when he is old he shall not depart from it." — 
Upon this foundation, and under the direction of 
these prevailing principles, a general education 
must be given. Habits of cleanliness, and order, 
of sobriety and good behaviour are to be early 
fostered in all ; for religion is a decided enemy 
to disorder and intemperance, to rudeness and un- 
cleanliness. God is not the author of confusion. 
Tn his works there is a place for every thing, and 
every thing is in its place. When children mocked 
Elisha, God sent two bears out of the wood to 
destroy them. The old divines used to say, No 
cleanliness, no godliness. — General knowledge is 
to be furnished as opportunity and ability are 
given, and the sinless accomplishments of a polite 
education are things which no Christian should 
despise. Whether they have any thing else to 
give their children, or no, parents should be 



THE FIFTH! COMMANDMENT. 113 

anxious to give them a solidly good and extensive 
education, and this, to whatever class of society 
they belong; the children of the poor will be 
improved by it, and those of the rich may live to 
need it. All parents have not the ability, and few 
can command the leisure necessary for the educa- 
tion of their own children ; but all should feel 
that a solemn responsibility rests upon them as to 
the choice they make, when they transfer the 
work of education into other hands, and none 
should ever allow it (if it be possible to avoid it) 
to pass from under their own supervision and 
controul. The learned languages, especially those 
in which the Bible was originally written are 
amongst the most valuable of accomplishments ; 
the sciences, music, and drawing, amongst the 
most interesting of recreations. — As they advance 
in years, children must be trained to habits of 
industry. Idleness is the mother of all sin, and 
the most certain preparative for the stroke of the 
executioner. Education well conducted will lay 
the foundation of honest industry; for the time 
soon arrives when education cannot remain an 
amusement or a plaything. Sons should be brought 
up to some honest employment, whereby they 
may be worth their room in the world, and Chris- 
tians should train up their daughters to do vir- 
tuously. Whatever they want, let them not want 
" Ruth's portion, a good name, a good head, and 
good hands." — Parents are required to correct 
their children. " Folly is bound up in the heart 
of a child, but the rod of correction shall drive it 
out." " He that spareth the rod hateth his son, 
l 3 



114 THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 

but whoso loveth him, chasteneth him betimes. " 
Correction must not be administered in anger, for 
thus it is written, " Ye fathers, provoke not your 
children to wrath nor for any thing but sin, for 
parents also have a Father in heaven, to whom 
they must give an account. — Parents must pray 
for their children ; before they are born, that the 
right use of their limbs and their reason may be 
given them ; while they are young, that the 
efforts of pious education may be blest to their 
early conversion ; every day, and through the 
whole period of their life. Like Job they should 
set apart special seasons of prayer for them, and 
especially as the successive changes of their lives 
render such seasons important. — A proper example 
must be set before children. He who sins before 
his child, sins twice ; for he can only expect to 
see his sin acted over again by his son. Example 
teaches more impressively than all precept. — 
Through life, parents must advise their children, 
with affection and earnestness ; assist them, to 
the extent of their ability, to gain for themselves 
a standing in society; comfort them under the 
pressure of difficulties, disappointments, and trials, 
by the review of their own experience ; and at 
a proper time, and under proper circumstances, 
should encourage them to settle themselves in 
marriage, and so give themselves more fully to 
the welfare of society and the glory of God. — At 
their death, parents should call their children to- 
gether, and give them their dying counsel. This 
will often leave an impression which neither edu- 
cation, advice, nor example could make, and will 



THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 



115 



always be thankfully received and carefully trea- 
sured up by those who truly honour their father 
and mother. — And let all parents consider it to 
be their sacred duty to leave their temporal affairs 
so ordered, that after their decease, they may not 
be a snare to their children, or a bone of con- 
tention amongst them. Reason, justice, religion, 
alike forbid the monstrous inequality in the dis- 
tribution of property, which the wills of some 
parents require ; an inequality dictated by arbitrary 
caprice, or originated by some unlawful passion. 
Instead of daughters requiring a smaller share 
than sons, if difference be made at all, their sex 
demands that it be made in their favour. — No 
justifiable excuse can be alleged for the neglect 
of these duties. Thus saith the Lord : " He 
established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed 
a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, 
that they should make them known to their chil- 
dren : that the generation to come might know 
them, even the children which should be born ; 
who should arise and declare them to their chil- 
dren ; that they might set their hope in God, and 
not forget the works of God, but keep his 
commandments." And every truly obedient man 
will respond, " We will not hide them from our 
children, showing to the generation to come the 
praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his 
wonderful works that he hath done/' Ps. lxxviii. 
1—8. 

The duties of children towards their parents must 
now be declared. Children should love their 
parents. The supreme attachment of the heart 



116 



THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 



belongs only to our Father in heaven, but that 
love which consists in esteem, confidence, and 
acts of general kindness is due to earthly parents. 
The want of natural affection is reckoned by the 
Apostle Paul amongst the most horrid abomina- 
tions, and except in lands where the Divine law 
of morals is unknown, is universally execrated 
amongst men. — Reverence is due from children 
to their parents. This is the command, " Ye 
shall fear every man his mother and his father ; 
I am the Lord your God." By this fear, , is meant, 
a conscientious regard to their lawful authority, 
and a scrupulous care not to offend them. It 
includes also an externally respectful behaviour 
toward them. Children should not treat their 
parents rudely, nor even familiarly, as if they were 
their equals or their companions, " a son honoureth 
his father ;" but they ought to speak and act re- 
spectfully to them, and especially towards their 
mother ; " her children arise up, and call her 
blessed." Solomon when he was king of 
Israel, "rose up to meet his mother, and bowed 
himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and 
caused a seat to be placed for the king's mother ; 
and she sat on his right hand." " The eye that 
mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his 
mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, 
and the young eagles shall eat it." — Obedience is 
due to parents. " Children, obey your parents 
in all things ; for this is well pleasing to the 
Lord." If, however, their commands should be 
at variance with those of God, obedience must 
then be refused, but still with respect and affec- 



THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 117 

tion, showing reverence for their authority, and 
assigning conscientious reasons for noncompli- 
ance : " children obey your parents in the Lord, 
for this is right.' ' When parental authority only 
crosses the inclination, without touching the 
conscience, children should feel it to be their duty 
to yield. Joseph readily obeyed his father, and 
went to inquire after his brethren, although he 
knew that they hated him ; and Jesus himself 
became a pattern of filial obedience ; for although 
in the temple about his heavenly Father's work, 
he went down with Mary and Joseph at their call, 
and "came to Nazareth, and was subject unto 
them." — Submission is a further duty of children : 
to the instructions of their parents; " My son 
hear the instructions of thy father,, and forsake not 
the law of thy mother ;" — and to their corrections 
and reproofs ; for " folly is bound up in the heart 
of a child, but the rod of correction shall drive it 
out." " We have had fathers of our flesh who cor- 
rected us, and we gave them reverence." — Ten- 
derness towards the infirmities of parents should 
always characterize the filial spirit. These, whether 
natural or moral, should never be made the occa- 
sion of jest, or smile, or insult, should never be 
treated with indifference, or needlessly exposed to 
others. Remember the curse of Ham, the father 
of Canaan. — Regard is due to their advice, and 
especially on the important questions of settle- 
ment in the world, and the marriage state. Less 
than their approval and consent, under ordinary 
circumstances, will not satisfy a Christian child ; 
and something of parental right to controul must 



118 



THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 



be understood to be implied in the following pas- 
sage : "If any man think that he behaveth himself 
unseemly toward his virgin daughter, if she pass 
the flower of her age, and need so require, let him 
do what he will, he sinneth not ; let them marry. 
So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth 
well ; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth 
better." — God requires that children be ready to 
requite parents when they are in need, and espe- 
cially in their old age . ' ' If any widow have children 
or nephews, let them learn first to show piety at 
home, and to requite their parents ; for that is good 
and acceptable before God.' 5 The Saviour is him- 
self our pattern in this respect. He provided 
for his mother when he hung on the cross, com- 
mending her to the care of the beloved disciple ; 
and he exposed the sophistry of the Jews, who 
affected to devote to the temple service that which 
ought to have been employed in requiting parental 
kindness. Matt. xv. 4 — 6. In fine, children 
should so live and act, as to be an honour to 
their parents ; and that they may be so, let them 
daily pray for them, and bless God on their 
behalf. <f A wise son maketh a glad father, but 
a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother." 

3. The political relation, or that which subsists 
in the various walks and circumstances of social 
and civil life, is placed under the same general 
regulations. 

Mutual claims and obligations exist between 
the ruling magistrate and his subjects. It is re- 
quired of rulers to be upright and conscientious 
in the administration of justice ; peaceable in 



THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 119 

asserting their own rights, and faithful in main- 
taining those of others ; sanctioning and support- 
ing that which is good, and discountenancing and 
depressing that which is evil ; using persuasion 
rather than force, and exercising clemency, and 
not cruelty or oppression. " He that ruleth over 
men, must be just, ruling in the fear of God." 
" For rulers are not a terror to good works, but 
to the evil/' The resolutions of David, in the 
101st Psalm, are a faithful delineation of magis- 
terial obedience to the fifth commandment. " I 
will set no wicked thing before mine eyes ; I 
hate the work of them that turn aside ; it shall 
not cleave unto me. A fro ward heart shall depart 
from me ; I will not know a wicked person. 
Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will 
I cut off ; him that hath a high look and a proud 
heart will not I suffer. Mine eyes shall be upon 
the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with 
me ; he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall 
serve me. He that worketh deceit shall not 
dwell within my house ; he that telleth lies shall 
not tarry in my sight. I will early destroy all the 
wicked of the land ; that I may cut off all wicked 
doers from the city of the Lord." The duties of 
subjects are specified with equal plainness. They 
are to cultivate humble and peaceable affections ; 
submitting " to the higher powers," as " ordained 
of God ;" supporting them in all legitimate acts 
of authority, and plans of usefulness ; defending 
them against the wanton attacks of envious and 
disorderly men ; contributing cheerfully of their 
substance to supply the means of government ; 



120 THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 

and praying for them that they may be endowed 
with the spirit of their station, and may rightly 
regard the claims both of God, the universal 
ruler, and of men their fellows. Thus saith the 
Lord : " Let every soul be subject unto the 
higher powers. For there is no power but of 
God, the powers that be are ordained of God. 
Whosoever, therefore, resisteth the power, re- 
sisteth the ordinance of God ; and they that 
resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For 
rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the 
evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power ? 
do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise 
of the same ; for he is the minister of God to thee 
for good ; but if thou do that which is evil, be 
afraid ; for he beareth not the sword in vain ; for 
he is the minister of God, an avenger to execute 
wTath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye 
must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but 
also for conscience sake. For this cause pay ye 
tribute also : for they are God's ministers, at- 
tending continually upon this very thing. Render 
therefore to all their dues ; tribute to whom 
tribute is due ; custom to whom custom ; fear 
to whom fear; honour to whom honour." " I 
exhort, therefore, that, first of all, supplications, 
prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be 
made for all men ; for kings, and for all that are 
in authority ; that we may lead quiet and peaceable 
lives in all godliness and honesty ; for this is 
good and acceptable in the sight of God our 
Saviour." If the civil ruler should, however, 
step beyond his province, and attempt to legislate 



THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT, 121 

for conscience, and in things which pertain only 
unto God, apostolic example has taught us that 
it is our duty respectfully but firmly to refuse 
obedience ; saying, " We must obey God rather 
than men ;" — and if in hasty anger, or by illegal 
process, he attempt to oppress or act unjustly, it 
is again the duty of subjects temperately to re- 
monstrate, as Paul, when they would unjustly have 
scourged him, — (C Is it lawful for you to scourge 
a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned ?" 

Between servants and their employers, mutual 
duties subsist, and these are to be regulated by 
the same law. The master is here to receive the 
parent's honour, and exercise the parent's authority ; 
and the servant is to display the child's ready 
submission and obedience. " Let as many servants 
as are under the yoke count their own masters 
worthy of all honour, that the name of God and 
his doctrine be not blasphemed ;" obeying " in 
all things, not with eye-service as men-pleasers, 
but in singleness of heart, fearing God ;" "and they 
that have believing masters, let them not despise 
them, because they are brethren ; but rather do 
them service, because they are faithful and beloved, 
partakers of the benefit." "And, ye masters, do 
the same things unto them, forbearing threaten- 
ing ; knowing that your Master also is in heaven ; 
neither is there respect of persons with him." 

Similar remarks apply to all the varied relations 
and circumstances of life. There are mutual duties 
which the aged and the young owe to each other. 
To the young it is said, "Thou shalt rise up 
before the hoary head, and honour the face of 

M 



122 THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 

the old man ;" and the aged are to declare God's 
" works to this generation, and his power to 
every one that is to come." — The rich and the 
poor owe to each other mutual regard. Thus 
saith the Lord ; " charge them that are rich in 
this world, that they be not high-minded, nor 
trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, 
who giveth us richly all things to enjoy ; that 
they do good, that they be rich in good works, 
ready to distribute, willing to communicate, laying 
up in store for themselves a good foundation 
against the time to come, that they may lay hold 
on eternal life." And to the poor it is said, 
" Thou shalt not covet." " Be content with such 
things as ye have." " Study to be quiet, and to 
do your own business, and to work with your own 
hands ; that ye may walk honestly toward them 
that are without, and that ye may have lack of 
nothing." — Men of superior gifts, are required to 
acknowledge the goodness of God in their special 
distinctions, and improve them for his glory ; to 
bear with the deficiencies of those who are beneath 
them, and labour to promote their advancement ; 
and to use their liberty for edification and not for 
offence : — whilst inferiors are not to judge their 
superiors, nor envy, nor flatter them ; but glorify 
God on their behalf, and reverence and esteem 
his goodness in them. f< We then that are strong 
ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and 
not to please ourselves." " For who maketh 
thee to differ from another ? and what hast thou 
that thou didst not receive ?" — The learned are to 
teach with kindness and readiness, and the illiterate 



THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 123 

are to learn with thankfulness and attention. The 
healthy are to watch over and nourish the sick, 
and the sick are to be patient and thankful for 
the attentions shown them ; thus bearing " one 
another's burdens, and so fulfilling the law of 
Christ." — The relations of equals may also be 
classed here. They are to regard the dignity and 
worth of each other ; "in honour preferring one 
another/ ' rejoicing in each other's gifts and ad- 
vancements as their own, " looking not every 
man on his own things, but every man also on 
the things of others." " Let no man seek his 
own, but every man his neighbour's good to edi- 
fication." 

4. The ecclesiastical relation, or that which 
subsists between religious parties as such, belongs 
also to this commandment. 

Various precepts of the Mosaic Law unfolded 
the spirit of obedience in this particular applica- 
tion ; but it is plainly unnecessary to dwell on 
these, the economy being abolished. We confine 
our illustrations to the New Testament ; and ad- 
vert first of all to the relation between the minis- 
ters of the Gospel and the people of their charge. 
Ministers are commanded, "Preach the word; 
be instant in season, out of season ; reprove, re- 
buke, exhort with all long-suffering and doc- 
trine." They are to rejoice in the prosperity, and 
sympathise with the afflictions of their people. 
They are to go before them, as a shepherd before 
his flock, showing them the path of life. They 
are to be gentle among them, " even as a nurse 
cherisheth her children /'—anxiously solicitous 
m 2 



124 THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 

for their spiritual welfare, " warning every man, 
and teaching every man in all wisdom, that they 
may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus ;" 
— praying for them and watching for their " souls 
as those who must give account." They are to 
rule " the church of God which he hath purchased 
with his own "blood ;" " not lording it over God's 
heritage," but faithfully declaring and executing 
the will of Christ, " without preferring one before 
another." They are to be " ensamples to the 
flock," " in word, in conversation, in charity, in 
spirit, in faith, in purity." They are to give at- 
tendance to reading, cultivating the gift that is in 
them, that their profiting may appear to all. 
They are to treat the aged men as fathers, and 
the younger as brethren ; the elder women as 
mothers, and the younger as sisters with all purity. 
And the people of their charge are to " esteem 
them very highly in love for their works' sake ;" 
to ' 'receive the law at their mouth;" to ''obey 
them who have the rule" over them, and submit 
themselves ; and to deal tenderly with their cha- 
racter and reputation, " not receiving an accusa- 
tion against them but in the presence of two or 
three witnesses." They are gratefully to acknow- 
ledge their kindness, and liberally provide for 
their temporal support, on principles of Christian 
justice, and as an act of obedience to the Divine 
appointment ; not making them rich, but placing 
them above the painful feelings of anxious care, 
remembering that they are to give themselves to 
study, and are to use hospitality. 

Christians in their associate or church capacity, 



THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 125 



owe various duties to each other, founded on the 
principle of mutual relationship which this com- 
mandment recognises. They should possess a 
deep interest in each other's welfare, rejoicing 
with them that rejoice, and weeping with them 
that weep. They should have a holy concern for 
each other's consistency, — watching over one 
another in love, comforting, exhorting, warning, 
rebuking, restoring, and forgiving one another as 
circumstances may demand. It is required of 
them to provoke one another to love and to good 
works, to be very tender of each other's reputa- 
tion, to pray constantly for and with each other, 
to avoid every thing by which a brother may be 
offended or made weak, and to treat one another 
with the confidence of brethren. They are to 
deal faithfully with each other on the great prin- 
ciples of their common profession, to bear patiently 
with each other's infirmities in the spirit of 
Christian charity, and mutually to follow the 
" things which make for peace, and things where- 
with one may edify another." "As the body is 
one, and hath many members, and all the mem- 
bers of that one body, being many, are one body, 
so also is Christ. There should be no schism in 
the body ; but the members should have the same 
care one for another." 

III. A promise is annexed to this precept, as 
an inducement to obedience. " That thy days may 
be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth 
thee." 

That this promise did not refer to the Jews 
only, or to the Old Testament economy alone, is 
m 3 



126 THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 



plain, from the circumstance that it is cited as a 
motive to obedience in the New Testament : — 
" Honour thy father and mother ; which is the 
first commandment with promise ; that it may be 
well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the 
earth." Thus " godliness is profitable unto all 
things, having promise of the life that now is, and 
of that which is to come." 

There is a natural connexion recognised here. 
The success of worldly undertakings, and the 
happiness of human society, depend on the ex- 
ercise of right views and feelings on the subject 
of mutual obligation. God has constituted society 
upon this principle ; and its peace and prosperity 
are inseparable from the maintenance of due order 
in its component parts. Life itself is prolonged 
by comfort, and shortened when rendered mise- 
rable. The discharge of duty yields a satisfac- 
tion which keeps the mind in peace, whilst the 
neglect of it promotes disquiet, frets the spirit, 
mars the health, and wears out life. And there 
is no relation in which this connexion is more ap- 
parent than in that which God has here selected 
as the specimen and pattern of all the rest. 
Where parental authority and instruction are 
sanctified for God ; where they are employed to 
impart Divine knowledge, to restrain depravity, 
and promote holiness ; where their chief aim is to 
lead to the exercise of repentance towards God, 
and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ; and these 
efforts are made in the spirit of prayer and 
dependence on the Divine blessing, a foundation 
is laid for every thing that is implied in filial obe- 



THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT, 127 

dience. And where the heart is early brought 
under the influence of filial piety, and taught to 
fulfil the obligations of social life ; this very dis- 
position is itself the germ of peace, as it is the 
spring of holy consistency in every relation. And 
so certain is this connexion between social order 
and personal and relative prosperity, that it 
would be difficult to find the man who duly re- 
garding the one, does not largely enjoy the other, 
notwithstanding all the disadvantages of our 
fallen condition, and the abounding prevalence of 
the opposite spirit. Nay, so certain is this con- 
nexion, that we may challenge the world to find 
the man who is truly happy or prosperous, and 
yet lives in disregard of the claims of his fellows. 



THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 



Exodus xx. 13. 
" Thou shalt not kill." 

There is but one Being who has life in Himself. 
He is the source and supporter of it in others, and 
the Lord of all its efforts. It is his indisputable 
right to affix to the efforts of every creature their 
proper character, and He alone has the right in 
Himself to take away the life He has given. On 
this Divine right, the sixth commandment pro- 
ceeds. It is the declared law of God respecting 
life. The terms in which it is conveyed are abso- 
lute, amounting to an universal prohibition. To 
take life, then, or to do any thing tending to its 
destruction, is to transgress this command, unless 
we can show that God has made an exception to 
the rule ; and the precept must be understood to 
require all that is implied in the preservation and 
care of life. It must be so expounded as to em- 
body all that revelation teaches on the subject 
of life. 

I. The Brute Creation may be regarded as the 
first objects of this law. 



THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 



129 



When viewed as a part of the original law of 
our nature, this command amounted to an entire 
prohibition of the life of the creatures. The first 
man, in his state of innocence, had no right to 
kill any one of the creatures which God had 
formed. The produce of the earth was his only 
food. The creatures were made subject to his 
authority, to be ruled for God ; but in no other 
sense were they placed within his power, or left 
at his disposal. 

Sin gave occasion for the first modification of 
the precept in this particular, and God Himself 
superintended the first death. There is more than 
probable reason to conclude, that the first animals 
which were slain, were slain in sacrifice, as typical 
of the great propitiation of Jesus Christ; and with 
their skins a covering was provided for the guilty 
nakedness of our first parents. 

Whether it were lawful to take life for any 
other purpose than that of sacrifice, during the 
period between the fall and the flood, may fairly 
be questioned. But it scarcely admits of doubt, 
that amidst the diversified disobedience and vio- 
lence of the antediluvians, the creatures were 
eaten as food ; and that they were eaten " in 
their life," seems almost equally certain. For 
immediately after the flood, permission was grant- 
ed to use them as food, with this restriction, — 
that their lives must first be taken : " Flesh, in 
the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall 
ye not eat." This monstrous practice of cutting 
off parts of living animals for food, still prevails 
in un evangelised nations. Bruce' s narrative of 



130 THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 

this fact, though long questioned, has been amply- 
confirmed by later travellers and modem mission- 
aries. 

Under the Jewish economy, the same modifica- 
tion of this law continued ; with this difference, 
that certain kinds of creatures were expressly pro- 
hibited to that people. 

The Christian dispensation leaves the law as it 
was given to Noah. It permits us to kill the 
creatures as we have need of them for food, and 
it allows the destruction of those which are likely 
to prove injurious to our comfort. 

The precept, {i Thou shalt not kill," must be 
understood to prohibit the malicious destruction 
of the creatures, when their life is not needed by 
us, nor injurious to us. In these cases, it is not 
in our power, and we are not at liberty to indulge 
a spirit of wanton extermination. It forbids the 
abuse of the creatures, by which their life is in- 
jured. If we employ their strength in our service, 
that strength is to be supported by a proper sup- 
ply of food, and a proper degree of rest ; and it is 
not to be stretched beyond its real and comfort- 
able ability. All torturing of animals for purposes 
of worldly gain or sensual amusement is an injury 
inflicted on their life, which implies a direct breach 
of this command. Cock-fighting, bull-baiting, 
horse-racing, and — (a word to children) — chafer- 
spinning, are some of the flagrant abuses of the 
creatures, by which their life is injured. — This com- 
mand also forbids the infliction of any unnecessary 
pain upon the creatures, when their life is required 
to be taken. They must not be needlessly pu- 



THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. * 131 

nished, nor their sufferings needlessly protracted. 
How far the sufferings inflicted by the common 
modes of slaughter might be mitigated by the 
adoption of some easier and less lingering means 
of death, is a question deserving the serious con- 
sideration of the Christian philanthropist. Why, 
for example, should a calf be bled to death to 
gratify a pampered appetite ? or a bullock felled 
which would die at once by a pistol-shot ? 

In its spirit, this command requires for the 
brute creation liberty to live when circumstances 
do not demand their death ; kindness of treatment 
and care to preserve their lives from all injury, 
when they are employed by us ; and the readiest 
and easiest mode of death, when their lives must 
be taken. 

II. This commandment must be examined se- 
condly, in its application to our own life ; and 
this in two respects, as to what it forbids, and 
what it requires. 

1 . It forbids the taking away of our own life, 
and whatsoever tendeth thereunto. 

Suicide, or self-murder, is one of the most 
heinous transgressions of the Divine law. No 
man's life is in his own power ; he has therefore 
no right, under any circumstances, to lay violent 
hands upon himself. Thus to act is impiously to 
assume the Divine prerogative, and make himself 
equal with God ; and the various collateral consi- 
derations which connect themselves with this 
assumption greatly aggravate the guilt of the act. 
Reason pronounces it highly unreasonable ; civil 
laws strike against it ; the motives which urge to 



132 



THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 



it are always vile and debasing ; family reputation 
is destroyed by it ; society is injured and insulted 
by it ; and, which is worse than all, it pre- 
cludes the possibility* of repentance, and sends the 
murderer into an awful eternity ; — " for ye know 
that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him." 
The plea of lunacy, as implied in all cases of 
suicide, cannot be sustained. Saul was not mad, 
but fretted with disappointment, when he fell 
upon his sword. Ahithophel was not melancholv. 
but filled with mortified pride, when " he saddled 
his ass, and arose, and gat him home to his 
house, to his city, and put his household in order, 
and hanged himself, and died." Judas was not 
thrown off his balance by delirium, but was calm 
and collected, sensible of his sin, and alive to its 
consequences, when he threw down the pieces of 
money in the temple, and went out, and destroyed 
himself. 

Manv things tend to self- destruction, which do 
not actually produce it ; and some things effect it 
by a slow process, instead of a violent act ; all 
these are forbidden by this commandment. We 
instance first, affections of the mind. Weariness 
and dissatisfaction with life pertains to this class 
of evils. Life is an invaluable blessing. All the 
circumstances of it are of Divine appointment. 
If these are painful, is there any just reason for 
the complaint of " a living man," " a man" who 
suffers " for the punishment of his sins :" For a 
man to say with Job, " My soul chooseth stran- 
gling, and death rather than life;" or with Jonah, 
e - It is better for me to die than to live ;" is not 



THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 133 

only vile ingratitude, it is the very spirit of self- 
destruction, and bears the guilt. " Cease then 
from anger, and forsake wrath ; and fret not thy- 
self in any wise to do evil." — All superstitious 
and slavish fear of men, and false notions of ho- 
nour, partake of the same guilt. This led SauL 
the King of Israel, to destroy himself, and the 
Philippian jailor to attempt his life. — Immoderate 
grief and anxiety have the same tendency. These 
prey on the spirit, and act like slow poison on the 
vitals, bringing men to a premature grave. — In- 
dolence generates disease, which destroys life ; 
envy rankles in the bosom, and often drives to 
madness, which exhausts life ; and habitual gloom 
enervates the system, and wears out life. 

Neglect of the proper claims of the body is a 
more open violation of the law of life. When 
men deny themselves proper food, sleep, clothing, 
exercise, recreation, cleanliness, or medicine, there 
is a neglect of the body, which tendeth to its de- 
struction. In some cases this is mere careless- 
ness, and " by much slothfulness the building 
decay eth." In other cases, it is excessive covet- 
ousness, men having no heart to use the gifts of 
God, Sometimes it results from inordinate pas- 
sions, as when Ahab, vexed with disappointment, 
" laid down on his bed, and turned away his face, 
and would not eat ;" and sometimes from princi- 
ples of fatalism, as when a man presumptuously 
rushes into danger. Intemperance, or excessive 
indulgence, leads to the same result. Gluttony 
and drunkenness were by the Jewish law punished 
with stoning. Both make quick work for the 

N 



134 THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 

grave, and have sent many thither before they 
have lived out half their days. Intemperate 
sexual indulgence is expressly called " the sin 
against our own body." Immoderate labour is a 
wasting of strength ; it is like a violent wind, 
that teareth up a tree by the roots. Unnecessary 
exposure to danger is a presumptuous appeal to 
Providence, and an affecting trifling with life. 
Yea, all excess is a species of self-murder, and 
must meet its doom accordingly. " Take heed to 
yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be over- 
charged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and 
cares of this life, and so that day come upon you 
unawares. Watch ye, therefore, and pray always, 
that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all 
these things that shall come to pass, and to stand 
before the Son of Man." 

But what, in this connexion, shall be said about 
the claims of the soul ? For a man to live without 
prayer, to neglect the means of Divine knowledge, 
to spurn the overtures of reconciliation, and harden 
himself in impenitence and unbelief, is to conspire 
against the life of his soul, and bring on himself 
swift destruction, even " everlasting destruction 
from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory 
of his power/' — Thou shalt not kill." 

2. The law of life requires all lawful endeavours 
to preserve our life. 

It requires due care of our bodies. " No man," 
rightly viewing the obligations under which this 
command places him, " ever yet hated his own 
flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it." It re- 
quires us to allow ourselves a suitable and compe- 



THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 135 

tent supply of meat and drink for the sustenance of 
life. Thus Timothy is commanded, " Drink no 
longer water, but use a little wine, for thy sto- 
mach's sake, and thine often infirmities;" — to pro- 
vide necessary clothing for the comfort and defence 
of our bodies, this God taught us to do by his 
provision for our first parents : — to refresh our 
bodies by a proper measure of rest and sleep ; "it 
is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to 
eat the bread of sorrows ; for so he giveth his 
beloved sleep :" — to use moderate labour, exer- 
cise, and recreations ; " Even when we were with 
you," (said Paul) " this we commanded you, that 
if any would not work, neither should he eat." 
And Solomon suggests this motive to labour, " He 
that laboureth, laboureth for himself, for his mouth 
craveth it of him." " There is a time to laugh," 
as well as <( a time to weep :" — to practise clean- 
liness ; the injunctions to it are numerous in the 
Levitical law, and the moral allusions to it in the 
Scriptures prove its claims as a means of health : — 
to employ proper medicines for the restoration of 
health and the prolongation of life ; even as Isaiah 
commanded in the case of Hezekiah, " Let them 
take a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaister on the 
boil, and he shall recover :" — and to avoid need- 
less exposure to pestilential infection, using such 
precautions as are possible, when duty calls into 
danger. 

The due regulation of our appetites and passions 
is also required by this law. The connexion be- 
tween the soul and the body is most close and 
intimate ; and the subjection of all inordinate and 
n 2 



136 



THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 



evil appetites and passions, and their reduction 
into regular order, is essential to the true enjoy- 
ment of life, and contributes to its continuance 
and vigour. Patience, quietness, and cheerfulness 
of mind, are duties implied in this precept : ' ' A 
merry heart doeth good like a medicine, but a 
broken spirit drieth the bones/' 

Supreme attention to the spiritual part of our 
nature, and diligent preparation for immortal life, 
is the highest requisition of this commandment. 
The terms of life proposed by the Gospel demand 
immediate and cordial reception ; " Except ye 
repent, ye shall all likewise perish ;" " He that 
believeth not the Son, shall not see life." — All sin 
is to be avoided, it is the death of the soul. " As 
righteousness tendeth to life, so he that pursueth 
evil, pursueth it to his own death." " He that 
sinneth against me, wrongeth his own soul ; all 
they that hate me love death." — Worldly interests 
and pursuits, however lawful in themselves, must 
be subordinated to the interests of the soul, and 
the pursuit of its salvation. " What is a man 
profited, although he should gain the whole world, 
and lose his own soul ?" — All the various means 
of grace are to be diligently employed. By these, 
spiritual life is promoted and maintained. " Pray 
without ceasing." " In every thing give thanks." 
" Search the Scriptures." " Remember the sab- 
bath day, to keep it holy." 

A question arises here as to what is the law of 
life, when placed in circumstances of danger from 
human violence. That all lawful means are to be 
employed to preserve life is sufficiently plain ; the 



THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 137 

question is, What are lawful means ? Every thing 
which remonstrance and firm moral resistance can 
do, to ward off the blow of the murderer, or pre- 
vent the infliction of an unjust sentence, is to be 
done. Paul pleaded his rights as a Roman citizen, 
when he was illegally bound, and in danger of 
being scourged. But the spirit of the New Tes- 
tament forbids to use violent means of defence. 
" Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but 
rather give place unto wrath ; for it is written, 
Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. 
Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him ; if he 
thirst, give him drink ; for in so doing thou shalt 
heap coals of fire on his head." In case of perse- 
cution for conscience' sake, Christ has commanded 
his disciples not to fight, but flee ; "If they per- 
secute you in this city, flee ye into another." 
When this is impossible, he has commanded them 
to submit : " Whosoever will save his life, shall 
lose it ; but whosoever will lose his life for my 
sake, the same shall find it." If we cannot save 
our life without sinning, Christ has said, " Fear 
not them which kill the body, but are not able to 
kill the soul ; but rather fear him who is able to 
destroy both soul and body in hell." 

III. The import of this command is to be fur- 
ther sought, in its reference to the life of our 
neighbour. 

1 . The duties required are two ; to preserve, 
by all lawful means, the bodily life, and to endea- 
vour, by all proper means, to save the soul of our 
neighbour. 

As to his bodily life. The innocent is to be 
n 3 



138 THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 

protected and defended against injustice. Thus 
the people of Israel pleaded for the life of Jona- 
than, when Saul would have put him to death ; 
" Shall Jonathan die, who hath wrought this 
great salvation in Israel ? God forbid : as the 
Lord liveth, there shall not one hair of his head 
fall to the ground, for he hath wrought with God 
this day." Thus the Jewish law commands ; 
" Open thy mouth for the dumb, in the cause of 
all such as are appointed to destruction. Open 
thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause 
of the poor and needy." Nor must any man say 
with Cain, " Am I my brother's keeper ?" For it 
is written again, " If thou forbear to deliver them 
that are drawn unto death, and those that are 
ready to be slain ; if thou sayest, Behold, we knew 
it not ; doth not he that pondereth the heart con- 
sider it ? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not 
he know it ; and shall not he render to every 
man according to his works ?" — This law requires 
us to shelter the persecuted, to warn them of dan- 
ger, and not to deliver them up unto death. It is 
spoken to the commendation of Obadiah, that 
" when Jezebel slew the prophets of the Lord, he 
hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with 
bread and water ;" and the conduct of Paul's 
sister's son is recorded with marked approbation, 
in warning him against the plot of the Jews to 
obtain his life. — The life of the needy is to be 
preserved, by giving him the necessaries of life. 
u If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of 
daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart 
in peace, be ye warmed and filled ; notwithstand- 



THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 139 



ing, ye give them not those things which are 
needful to the body ; what doth it profit ?" — All 
this implies, the maintenance of such affections 
towards our neighbour, as will keep us back from 
injuring him. " Let all bitterness, and wrath, 
and anger, and clamour, and evil- speaking, be 
put away from you, with all malice ; and be ye 
kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving 
one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath 
forgiven you.'' — With this is connected the exer- 
cise of a peaceable, mild, and courteous disposi- 
tion, in looks, speech, and behaviour. " Follow 
after the things which make for peace. " " Put on, 
therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, 
bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, 
meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another, 
and forgiving one another, if any man have a 
quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, 
so also do ye." " A soft answer turneth away 
wrath ; but grievous words stir up anger." — 
Lastly, as to injuries ; occasions of strife are to 
be avoided. Abraham's example is deserving of 
universal imitation ; " Let there be no strife," 
said he to Lot, " between me and thee, and be- 
tween my herdmen and thy herdmen ; for we be 
brethren. Is not the whole land before thee ? 
separate thyself, I pray thee, from me ; if thou 
wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right ; 
or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go 
to the left." All things are to be taken in the 
best sense ; " Charity is not easily provoked ; 
thinketh no evil ; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but 
rejoiceth in the truth ; beareth all things, belie veth 



140 



THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 



all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things :" 
— and even to our enemies, kindness is to be 
shown, and vengeance left unto God. " Love 
your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good 
to them that hate you, and pray for them which 
despitefully use and persecute you ; that ye may 
be the children of your Father which is in heaven ; 
for he maketh his sun to shine on the evil and on 
the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the 
unjust." 

A still higher duty is enjoined by this com- 
mand, to seek the salvation of the soul of our 
neighbour ; and every thing is required which can 
be done to commend religion to his embrace, and 
induce his compliance with the will of God. The 
Holy Scriptures are to be placed in his hands ** ac- 
cording to the commandment of God our Saviour." 
He is to be persuaded to " be reconciled to God." 
" Thou shalt not suffer sin upon thy neighbour." 
The value of his soul is to be shown him ; the 
necessity of ' ' repentance towards God and faith 
toward our Lord Jesus Christ," must be declared 
to him ; and holy urgency employed with him to 
induce him to "flee from the wrath to come." 
No obligation is stronger or more clearly pointed 
out in the word of God than this, and it is bind- 
ing on "all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in 
sincerity." The only qualification requisite to its 
discharge is that which holy character supplies ; 
and every man has more or less opportunity for 
such efforts. Parents are bound to seek the sal- 
vation of their children; masters that of their 
servants, and every man that of his neighbour 



THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 



141 



and friend. Bodily life is of little value when 
put in contrast with the life of the soul, and the 
zeal to promote the latter should be proportionably 
vigorous and active. Every principle of bene- 
volence implies such zeal, and urges to it. And 
never will the world be converted unto the faith 
of Christ, until every Christian man sets himself 
thus to seek the life of his neighbour. O ! with 
what emotions will this precept fill the minds of 
many when the light of eternity discloses its un- 
utterable importance ! " Thou shalt not kill." 

2. This command forbids the taking away of 
our neighbour's life, with every thing that tendeth 
to its destruction, and whatever endangers the 
interests of his immortal life. 

Murder is a crime so decidedly hostile to all 
principles both human and divine, so horrible and 
atrocious, presenting so direct an invasion of the 
Divine prerogative, and so open an outrage on the 
order and security of his government, that God 
has not only denounced it in his word, and re- 
quired it to be punished with death in human 
governments, but by his special providence he 
watches to unravel its mysteries, to detect its 
secrets, to bring its facts to light, and expose the 
murderer to his doom. — The correct interpreta- 
tion of this precept leads us to regard as murder 
all unjust destruction of our neighbour's life. This 
has sometimes taken place under colour of law, 
when no real crime has been proved, or at least, 
none deserving of death. The conspiracy insti- 
gated by Ahab and Jezebel against Naboth, was 
a crime of this species ; blasphemy indeed was 



142 THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 

sentenced to death by the Jewish law, but the 
charge was false. The martyrdom of the saints 
has often taken place under a like pretext, but it 
is always murder. And by what other name 
shall we call the inflictLn of death on offenders 
against the mere peace or property of human 
society ? Will any one attempt to prove that God 
has given to men the right thus to dispose of 
life at their pleasure? — War is wholesale murder, 
to satisfy the unhallowed ambition of princes, or 
redress the imaginary wrongs of nations. If it 
be evil for one man to avenge himself at the 
expense of his neighbour's life, on the same prin- 
ciple it is wrong for nations to do so. God is the 
Lord of life, and when his authority can be shown, 
as in the case of the invasion of Canaan by the 
Jew T s, the lawfulness of war might be admitted, 
but not under any other circumstances. — Duelling 
is also murder. It is the effect of pride and 
rage ; an assumption of God's right over life, and 
an invasion of his right of vengeance. If neither 
party be slain, it is equally guilty ; God looks at 
the heart. — -Similar remarks apply to the more 
brutal and degrading practice of prize-fighting. 
It is an outrage on all the sympathies of our 
nature, and all the decencies of society ; but it is 
more, it is a direct and deliberate perpetration of 
murder, and involves in the same guilt all aiders 
and abettors of the practice. 

Many things tend to the injury of our neigh- 
bour's life, which do not actually destroy it ; these 
are also forbidden in this command. A man may 
be a murderer in his heart ; " out of the heart 



THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 143 

proceedeth murder.' ' Sinful anger is thus guilty ; 
" whosoever is angry with his brother without a 
cause shall be in danger of the judgment ;"- — Ha- 
tred; " whoso hateth his brother is a murderer: " 
—Envy ; " the chief priests delivered Christ for 
envy ;" — Desire of revenge ; of Simeon and Levi 
it is said, " Cursed be their anger, for it was 
fierce, and their wrath, for it was cruel ;" — Con- 
triving or consenting to the unjust death of 
others ; the former was the guilt of the forty men 
who "bound themselves with an oath that they 
would neither eat nor drink till they had killed 
Paul," and the latter was the guilt of Paul him- 
self in the case of Stephen, " When the blood of 
thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing 
by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the 
raiment of them that slew him ;" — and here may 
also be added, principles of Infidelity ; these de- 
stroy in the heart the influence of God's supre- 
macy, and deny the certainty of an eternity to 
come, thus rendering life cheap, the ready prey 
of every blood-thirsty and cruel man. Of this, the 
scenes of the French Revolution furnish ample 
proof. 

Again, a man may be a murderer in words ; by 
applying opprobrious epithets ; " whosoever shall 
say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of 
the council ; but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, 
shall be in danger of hell fire :"- — by cursing and 
imprecating evil, as the youths mocked Elisha, 
saying, "Go up, thou bald head;" as Shimei 
cursed David, saying, " Come out, come out, thou 
bloody man, thou man of Belial :" — by swearing 



144 



THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 



to kill our neighbour, as the Jews did Paul ; — by 
propagating licentious doctrines in religion ; 
M their word will eat as doth a canker." 

There are also murderous acts, which do not 
issue in the actual loss of life. Such are prize- 
fights, when death does not follow, quarrelsome 
fights, which though seldom fatal, are often in- 
jurious, and all angry blows, which are always 
sinful and often highly prejudicial to health. — 
Oppression is a species of murder, whether it 
consist in extortion, or in withholding proper 
means of subsistence, or in bestowing inadequate 
remuneration to labour, or in detaining the person 
in cruel bondage ; in all these cases it operates 
against the life of the oppressed. — The with- 
holding from the necessitous that which we could 
fairly afford to give for their relief ; — the exposure 
of the innocent in posts of danger, as Uriah by 
David ; — and the non- execution of the law against 
murderers, if at least, they are thereby permitted 
to be at liberty and shed more blood, are each of 
them transgressions of this command, which for- 
bids all offences against the life and well-being 
of men. 

There remains to be added to this enumeration 
all those things which endanger the interests of 
our neighbour's soul. Men may be guilty of mur- 
dering the souls of others, by giving them an ex- 
ample to sin ; 4 e It must needs be that offences 
come, but woe to that man by whom they come 
by counselling others to sin, as Jonadab did 
Ammon ; — by joining with others in sin, and so 
becoming " partakers of their evil deeds;" — by 



THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 



145 



provoking others to sin, as Jezebel stirred up Ahab ; 
— by soliciting and tempting others to sin, saying, 
" Cast in thy lot among us, let us all have one 
purse — by teaching that which is sinful ; " Woe 
to them that call evil good, and good evil, that put 
darkness for light and light for darkness, that put 
bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter — yea, by 
neglecting what we owe to our neighbour for his 
salvation, whether it be provision of the means of 
grace, or prayer to God for the life of his soul. 

Who is not condemned by this precept also ? 
" Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou 
God of my salvation." 



o 



THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 



Exodus xx. 14. 
" Thou shalt not commit adultery." 

This command assumes the spotless purity of the 
Divine nature ; it enjoins personal and relative 
purity, and forbids the immodesty which is op- 
posed thereto. The obedience required is sum- 
med up in this word, " Keep thyself pure." 

I. The purity required is the first object of 
attention. 

Man at his creation is the model of it ; Christ 
in his humiliation on earth the perfect exempli- 
fication of it. It is founded on a right state of heart 
towards God, — a due sense of subordination to 
his authority. Where the claims of God are not 
supremely regarded, those of the creatures are 
sure to be falsely contemplated ; they will either 
be overlooked and despised, or over-rated and 
put in the place of those of God. That creature 
who feels not his entire and absolute dependence 
on the Creator, and who does not act under this 
impression, is totally depraved. To feel that we 
are His right, His property, and that we are 



THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 147 

bound to submit to His authority in all the re- 
lations in which we may be placed, is the first 
principle of that purity by which we should be 
distinguished. The supreme love of God which 
is implied in this subordination, is the essence of 
a truly benevolent disposition. It includes an 
attachment to all that which he loves, proportioned 
to the degree of its resemblance to Him, and a 
corresponding aversion to every thing which is 
unlike Him, and which he hates. This Divine 
conformity naturally begets a due regard to the 
established order or purity of the creation. It 
accounts all things right as God made them, and 
no otherwise. Every being was pure in the con- 
dition in which it was created ; and it is pure 
only in so far as it remains in that state and 
fulfils the law of its nature and relations, avoiding 
alike deficiency and excess. The seventh com- 
mand requires the maintenance of this purity be- 
tween the sexes. No man must attach undue 
importance to himself, or seek undue gratification 
for himself, but remember that the woman has 
claims as well as he, and that these are equally 
sacred. No man in his relation towards others, 
must pervert his powers of body or mind from 
their original and appointed use and order, and 
no man must seek so to pervert others. This 
purity has its seat in the heart. It is light in the 
understanding, the light of truth; — it is right 
views of the established claims of the creatures of 
God in their mutual relations. It is submission 
in the will ; — submission to the authority of God 
concerning the relations between the creatures, 
o 2 



148 THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 

It is order in the affections ; — the conformity of 
the attachments and aversions to the law of God. 
It is tenderness in the conscience ; — discovering 
itself in a ready sense of right and wrong, and a 
holy solicitude to avoid " even the appearance of 
evil/' It is subordination in the passions ; — sub- 
ordination to the dictates of reason, and the ar- 
rangements of God. It is the consecration of the 
memory — to retain the thoughts of the Divine 
presence and laws. It is the spirituality of the 
desires ; — directing them supremely to God, and 
seeking inferior gratification only as it is permitted 
by Him. It is the sanctity of the imagination ; — 
revolting at uncleanness and delighting only in 
that which is holy. 

The expressions of this purity which are more 
immediately required by this law, are these : — 

1 . Government of the senses. 

Purity is the turning away of the eyes and ears 
from all guilty solicitations. Thus Job said, " I 
have made a covenant with mine eyes." David 
prays, " Turn away mine eyes from beholding 
vanity." And "thus saith the Lord," " Let 
thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids 
look straight before thee;" and again, "Rise up, 
ye women that are at ease ; hear my voice, ye 
careless daughters." 

2. Modesty of dress. 

Solomon speaks of the attire of a harlot to con- 
demn it ; and Paul commands that " Women 
adorn themselves with modest apparel, with shame- 
facedness and sobriety ; not with broidered hair, 
or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but, which 



THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 



149 



becometh women professing godliness, with good 
works."' 

3. Temperance in food. 

They that would keep themselves pure, must 
keep their bodies in subjection. Paul reasoned 
of temperance, as well as of righteousness and 
„ judgment, when he preached before the adulterous 
Felix and Drusilla ; and thus our Lord exhorts, 
" Take heed lest at any time your hearts be over- 
charged with surfeiting and drunkenness." Fast- 
ing and prayer may be understood to be enjoined 
by this precept. 

4. Sobriety of speech. 

Thus it is written ; " Let your speech be 
always with grace, seasoned with salt;" — and 
again, " Let no corrupt communication proceed 
out of your mouth, but that which is good to the 
s use of edifying, that it may minister grace to the 
hearers." " But fornication, and all uncleanness, 
let it not be once named among you, as becometh 
saints ; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor 
jesting, which are not convenient, but rather giving 
of thanks." 

5. Association with proper company. 

For a holy man to choose as associates and 
friends persons who are destitute of vital god- 
liness, and therefore sure to prove a snare to him, 
is an anomaly which it is not easy to explain, a 
i deviation from purity which nothing can justify. 

Prudent appearances of association, where the 
company itself may be desirable, are equally implied 
in this purity. We must not so act as to lead 
others to suppose that our purity is questionable, 
o 3 



150 



THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 



or our intention in any degree different from the 
reality. 

The importance of avoiding evil company is 
thus impressively declared by Solomon: — " My 
son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear 
to my understanding : that thou mayest regard 
discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge. 
For the lips of a strange woman drop as an 
honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than 
oil : but her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp 
as a two edged sword. Her feet go down to 
death ; her steps take hold on hell. Lest thou 
shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are 
moveable, that thou canst not know them. Hear 
me now, therefore, O ye children, and depart not 
from the words of my mouth. Remove thy way 
far from her, and come not nigh the door of 
her house : lest thou give thine honour unto 
others, and thy years unto the cruel : lest strangers 
be filled with thy wealth ; and thy labours be in 
the house of a stranger : and thou mourn at the 
last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed, 
and say, How have I hated instruction, and my 
heart despised reproof ; and have not obeyed the 
voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear 
to them that instructed me. I was almost in 
all evil in the midst of the congregation and 
assembly." 

6. Lawful marriage. 

Marriage is a Divine institution. God ap- 
pointed it at the beginning as the natural state of 
man ; and still, " Marriage is honourable in all." 
It is a union between two persons of different 



THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 151 

sexes, and two only ; in order to their mutual 
comfort and happiness, and the propagation of 
their species. It is the most intimate union of 
which our nature is capable ; and when formed, 
it is designed to be permanent till death. Thus 
when " the Pharisees came to Jesus, tempting 
him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man 
to put away his wife for every cause, he answered 
and said unto them, Have ye not read that he 
who made them at the beginning, made them 
male and female, and said ; For this cause shall a 
man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave 
to his wife ; and they two shall be one flesh ? 
Wherefore they are no more two, but one flesh. 
What, therefore, God hath joined together, let not 
man put asunder." 

Marriage must take place between parties capa- 
ble of answering the ends of marriage ; at a proper 
period of life ; under those legal circumstances 
which are considered to furnish the bond of social 
order, within the prescribed degrees of affinity; 
and in the case of pious persons, only where the 
evidence of piety is satisfactory at the time of 
making the contract She is at liberty to 
be married to whom she will, but only in the 
Lord." 

7. The due discharge of all the duties of the 
married state. 

Without this, marriage will be no fence to 
purity. Thus saith the Lord ; " Drink waters 
out of thine own cistern, and running waters out 
of thine own well. Let thy fountain be blessed, 
and rejoice with the wife of thv youth. Let her 

13 



152 THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 

be as the loving hind and pleasant roe ; let her 
breasts satisfy thee at all times, and be thou 
ravished always with her love." — " Ye husbands, 
dwell with them according to knowledge, giving 
honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, 
and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that 
your prayers be not hindered." " I will, therefore, 
that the younger women marry, bear children, 
guide the house, give none occasion to the adver- 
sary to speak reproachfully — that they " be 
sober, love their husbands, love their children, be 
discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient 
to their own husbands, that the word of God be 
not blasphemed." 

Of the purity which we have now delineated, 
our Lord Jesus Christ was a perfect pattern. He 
was "holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from 
sinners." His -very enemies could find fault with 
nothing but his doctrine, his practice was blame- 
less. His senses were always aids to the prin- 
ciples of purity. His dress was a vesture which 
covered his whole person. His food was plain 
and simple, and eaten only when it was necessary ; 
and he drank of the brook by the way. His con- 
versation was strictly holy. His associates were 
holy men, save when he mingled with sinners to 
do them good. He did not marry, but he had 
the gift of continency, and enjoined marriage on 
those who have not. 

II. Our second object is to expose the im- 
modesty which is forbidden. 

1 . It is unnecessary to do more than name the 
direct acts of sin which transgress this command ; 



THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 153 

for none attempt to justify them, however numerous 
they may be who are guilty of them. 

Unnatural indulgences are first forbidden : 
Sodomy ; Bestiality ; Incest, which takes place 
between parties within the forbidden degrees of re- 
lationship. — Open intercourse between the sexes ; 
God made one man and one woman ; " and where- 
fore one ? That he might seek a godly seed." — 
Adultery, which takes place where one or both 
the parties are married; along with which may 
be reckoned, Bigamy, Polygamy, and Concubin- 
age. — Fornication, or the illicit intercourse of 
single persons, and along with it Seduction ; the 
whole system of Prostitution ; and Rape, whether 
resulting from physical force, or deceptive repre- 
sentation. To these must be added the secret 
uncleanness of a person alone ; and all immoderate 
and unseasonable use even of the marriage bed ; 
" Let every one of you," says Paul, ' know how to 
possess his vessel in sanctiflcation and honour." 
Unnecessary abstinence from marriage where the 
gift of continency is not enjoyed, and in marriage 
" except with consent for a time" in order to 
fasting and prayer, are also breaches of this com- 
mand. 

2. There are other direct breaches of this com- 
mand, which do not amount to the outward act. 

Sins of the heart, forbidden by it. Christ 
speaks of " committing adultery in the heart." 
All speculative filthiness ; unclean imaginations, 
thoughts, purposes, and affections, even though 
they are not intended to be pursued into the 
gross act, are here forbidden. Such a heart re- 



154 THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 

minds one of the description of Babylon ; " the 
habitation of devils, the hold of every foul spirit, 
and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird." 

Sins of the lips, forbidden by it. Such are all 
filthy communications and obscene allusions, how- 
ever disguised in the slang of the initiated, or 
whispered in the ear of confidential secrecy. 

Sins of the life, which do not amount to 
positive acts of adultery, also forbidden by it. 
Such are Wanton Looks, There are " eyes full 
of adultery ;" David fell by his eyes ; and Christ 
says, " Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust 
after her, hath committed adultery with her 
already in his heart." — -Impudent behaviour, in- 
delicate postures, and immodest gestures, con- 
trary to religion and good manners, belong to this 
place. Isaiah denounces " the daughters of Zion 
who are haughty, and walk with stretched forth 
necks, and wanton eyes ; walking and mincing as 
they go, and making a tinkling with their feet." 
— And, all foolish and playful embraces and dal- 
liance between unmarried persons, are sins of this 
class. They are like the smoke which precedes 
the flame. 

3. There are various Excitements to Sin; cir- 
cumstances which tend to corrupt our own or our 
neighbour's chastity ; and these are equally guilty 
and forbidden. We mention the following : 

Immodest Apparel. God appointed raiment 
for necessity, to cover our guilty nakedness, to 
distinguish sexes, and callings ; the devil has 
found out a fourth use of it, as an incitement to 
lust. The dress, or rather, state of undress in 



THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 155 

which some females choose to appear, and the 
close dress which men sometimes assume, are as 
insulting to chaste society, as they are abominable 
before God. If they should have no ill intention, 
it tends to defile the minds of others. 

Evil Company, tt was Joseph's commenda- 
tion that he fled from his mistress. 

Idleness, and vain gadding about, exposes to 
many temptations. This was the iniquity of 
Israel, " Pride, fulness of bread, and abundance 
of idleness in her, and her daughters." 

Intemperance, Gluttony, and Drunkenness. As 
these tend to murder, they are forbidden by the 
sixth commandment ; as they tend to adultery, 
they are forbidden by the seventh. " Look not 
thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth 
his colour in the cup, when it rnoveth itself 
aright. At the last, it biteth like a serpent, and 
stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold 
strange women, and thine heart shall utter per- 
verse things. " Mark also the language of Jere- 
miah : ' ' They were as fed horses in the morning ; 
every one neighed after his neighbour's wife." 

Promiscuous Dancing. This entertainment is 
offensive to the grave and pious, as it savours 
of a worldly spirit, and offensive to God, as it is 
evidently an incentive to lust. It has proved the 
gate of temptation to thousands, who have in- 
dulged in this " chambering and wantonness" till 
it has proved their ruin. It can in no case bear 
serious reflection. 

Effeminate Music and Lewd Songs, are closely 
connected with the preceding departure from 



156 THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 

propriety, and are equally dangerous. Their in- 
fluence is thus described by Israel : " Take an 
harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been 
forgotten ; make sweet melody, sing many songs, 
that thou mayest be remembered. " 

Theatrical Performances. The language they 
employ ; the scenical representations they exhibit, 
and the actual indecencies which they often in- 
clude, violate the spirit of this command, and 
become a snare to multitudes. 

Lascivious Pictures and Books, must also be 
condemned on the same grounds. They pollute 
the senses, and defile the mind. The promiscu- 
ous reading of the ancient Classics, by youths at 
school, is on this ground highly objectionable. 

Undue delay of marriage ; unjust divorce ; wil- 
ful desertion, and all want of proper affection, 
kindness, and confidence between married parties, 
are also to be avoided as incitements to evil. On 
the same principles must be condemned the 
Popish doctrine and practice of forbidding lawful 
marriages, of dispensing with unlawful ones, and 
of shutting up men and women in monasteries on 
pretence of greater piety. 

III. This sin has special aggravations. These 
are pointed out in the word of God. 

1. As a sin against God; it is a most direct 
insult of that holiness which he declares to be his 
glory, that he will not give to another ; and it is 
a vile disparagement of his authority, in a case 
where obedience is most easy. 

2. As a sin against the perpetrator of it; it 
dishonours and debases his own body ; " Every 



THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 157 

sin that a man doeth is without the body, but he 
that committeth fornication, sinneth against his 
own body." — It leaves an indelible stain on his 
reputation ; " Whoso committeth adultery with a 
woman lacketh understanding ; he that doeth it 
destroy eth his own soul. A wound and disho- 
nour shall he get ; and his reproach shall not be 
wiped away." — Poverty and want follow in its 
train ; " By means of a whorish woman a man is 
brought to a piece of bread ; and the adulteress 
will hunt for the precious life." — It stupifies the 
conscience; " Whoredom, and wine, and new 
wine take away the heart." — It is very seldom 
repented of ; " None that go unto her return 
again, neither take they hold of the paths of life." 
" I find more bitter than death the woman whose 
heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bonds ; 
whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her ; but 
the sinner shall be taken by her. Behold, this 
have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by 
one, to find out the account ; which yet my soul 
seeketh, but I find not ; one man among a thou- 
sand have I found ; but a woman among all these 
have I not found." — It leads to premature death ; 
" Her house inclineth unto death, and her paths 
unto the dead." " She hath cast down many 
wounded ; yea, many strong men have been slain 
by her. Her house is the way to hell, going 
down to the chambers of death." — It is ruinous 
to the soul : " Whoremongers and adulterers 
God will judge." " Be not deceived ; neither 
fornicators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor 
abusers of themselves with mankind," " nor any 
p 



158 THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 

unclean person, hath any inheritance in the king- 
dom of Christ and of God." 

3. As a sin against society ; — This man pe- 
ri sheth not alone in his iniquity. One sinner 
here, destroyeth much good. This sin disrupts 
the bonds of social obligation, injures the peace 
of the community, and prevents the spread of the 
truth and the increase of holy principles. 

4. In its aspect on the future state of existence 
it is peculiarly heinous. It can entail gratifica- 
tion in the present world only, and this is but for 
a moment ; whilst it lays the foundation of eter- 
nal disappointment and misery. The passions 
rage without objects in Hell, and prey for ever on 
the souls and bodies of their victims without 
relief. 

Whilst shame and confusion of face must cover 
every man who beholds himself in this glass, how 
earnestly should we adopt David's prayer ; " Turn 
away mine eyes from beholding vanity." " Create 
in me a clean heart, O God." 



THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 



Exodus xx. 15. 
" Thou shalt not steal." 

The perfect rectitude or justice of God, is the 
foundation of this precept. Justice is an equal 
regard to our own rights and those of others. It 
belongs to God in perfection, and characterizes 
all his dealings with his creatures. Tt is his pre- 
rogative to direct and maintain the rights of the 
universe, and he says, " Thou shalt not steal." 
This is the law concerning property ; it assumes 
certain facts which must be first contemplated ; it 
enjoins honesty, and forbids dishonesty. 

I. The facts which it assumes. These are 
three : — 

1. The distinction of property. 

If every man had not his own portion, but 
there should be an universal community of goods, 
and an equality of circumstances, this command 
rould have no place. It is supposed in it, that 
" what is mine, is mine; and what is thine, is 
thine/' however great may be the disparity in the 
share of this world's good, which has fallen to 
our separate lot ; and hence it is commanded to 
each of us, "Thou shalt not steal;" — thou shalt 
not take from thy neighbour, by unjust means, 
p 2 



160 THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 



any part of his worldly portion, nor unjustly 
dispose of any part of thine own. 

2. The divine origin of this distinction. 

God has displayed his Supremacy in the dif- 
ferences which obtain amongst his creatures. " Of 
the same lump, he has made one vessel to honour, 
and another to dishonour and he has distri- 
buted the gifts of his bounty to every man seve- 
rally as he will, giving no account of any of his 
matters, but requiring of every man to fulfil the 
obligations of his own circumstances and rela- 
tions. The command supposes further, 

3. The mutual obligations of men towards 
each other arising out of this distinction. 

What these obligations are, it is our business 
now to inquire. The command implies that every 
man is bound to cherish certain convictions as to 
his own and his neighbour's estate, and to act 
consistently on those convictions. We proceed 
then to describe, 

II. The honesty which this injunction requires. 
This may be viewed — 

1. As it exists in, and terminates on ourselves. 
It includes — 

(1.) A proper sense of the Divine Providence. 
The habitual sense of dependence is the first 
proper feeling of a creature towards the Creator; 
and this is the radical feature of an honest prin- 
ciple. Hence Israel is cautioned against saying in 
their heart, " My power, and the might of my 
hand, hath gotten me this wealth. But thou 
shalt remember the Lord thy God, for it is he 
that giveth thee power to get wealth — The 



THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 161 



Psalmist teaches, " Except the Lord build the 
house, they labour in vain that build it;" — and 
Christ has taught us to pray, " Give us this day 
our daily bread." 

(2.) Contentment with the arrangements of 
Providence is the natural effect of a proper sense 
of our dependence. If we are sensible that we 
deserve nothing, that all we enjoy we receive from 
the hand of benevolence, and that for the success 
of every effort we are entirely dependent on the 
superintending and over-ruling government of 
God, we shall proportionately feel a holy satisfac- 
tion in that portion of good which he allots to us ; 
in other words, we shall be prepared to obey the 
injunction before us. Hence we are commanded 
to " be content with such things as we have 
and directions are given us for our conduct in all 
the stations and circumstances in which we can 
possibly be found. That man is in the direct way 
to act unjustly towards his neighbour or himself, 
who aspires to a station for which he is not quali- 
fied, and is envious at the better estate of others. 
Honesty requires, 

(3.) A lawful calling and employment. Man 
was not formed for indolence, but for activity and 
proper service. Adam in his innocent state was 
required " to dress the garden and keep it." All 
the holy men who are commended to our imita- 
tion in the Scriptures, had some calling or em- 
ployment, though many of them were born to 
great wealth and large estates. The Redeemer, 
who is our great exemplar, wrought with his own 
hands at his father's trade for many years ; and 
p 3 



162 



THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 



the New Testament commands us to " labour* 
working with our hands the thing that is good." 
Observe : — It is to be " that which is good." We 
must have a lawful calling ; for there are some 
callings which proceed on principles that the 
Bible does not justify, and which imply practices 
that it expressly condemns. — Honesty next im- 
plies, 

(4.) Diligence in our situation. "The hand of 
the diligent maketh rich." Proper diligence in 
our calling greatly depends on our skill in it. 
" The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his 
way," and God encourages us to expect his as- 
sistance for this end. " Give ye ear, and hear 
my voice ; hearken, and hear my speech. Doth 
the plowman plow all day to sow ? doth he open 
and break the clods of his ground ? When he 
hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast 
abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and 
cast in the principal wheat, and the appointed 
barley and the rye in their place ? For his God 
doth instruct him to discretion ; and doth teach 
him. For the fitches are not threshed with a 
threshing instrument, neither is a cart-wheel 
turned about upon the cummin ; but the fitches 
are beaten out with a staff and the cummin with 
a rod. Bread corn is bruised ; because he will 
not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the 
wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen. 
This also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts, 
who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in 
working." 

(5.) Prudence belongs to honesty. A single 



THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 



163 



imprudent step often destroys the fruit of many 
years' labour, and lays the basis of dishonesty and 
every evil work. "A good man will guide his 
affairs with discretion/' Prudent honesty forbids 
us to embark in concerns and pursuits, to which 
our talents are not adapted, and for which our 
means are not equal. Even in preaching the Gos- 
pel, the Apostle lays down this rule, " not stretch- 
ing ourselves beyond our measure. ' ' — Prudence 
will avoid unnecessary pleas and law- suits to 
establish or recover our rights. These are seldom 
entered into from merely honest principles, and 
the law of Christianity teaches that the case is an 
extreme one in which it is right to have recourse 
to them. "Dare any of you, having a matter 
against another, go to law before the unjust, and 
not before the saints ? Do ye not know that the 
saints shall judge the world ? and if the world 
shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge 
the smallest matters ? Know ye not that we shall 
judge angels ? how much more things that pertain 
to this life ? If, then, ye have judgments of things 
pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are 
least esteemed in the church. I speak to your 
shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man 
among you ? no, not one that shall be able to 
judge between his brethren ? But brother goeth 
to law with brother, and that before the unbe- 
lievers. Now, therefore, there is utterly a fault 
among you, because ye go to law one with ano- 
ther. Why do ye not rather take wrong ? why 
do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded ?" 
— Prudence will also avoid rash suretyships. "Be 



164 THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 

not thou of them that are sureties for debts ; if 
thou hast nothing to pay, why should he take thy 
bed from under thee ?" — To honesty also belongs, 
(6.) The due appropriation of the fruit of our 
endeavours. And here, that sense of the Divine 
Providence on which all true honesty is built, 
teaches that God and his cause have the first 
claim on the fruit of our efforts. " Honour the 
Lord with thy substance, and with the first-fruits 
of all thine increase.' ' Under the Jewish law, a 
certain proportion of every man's income, even as 
much as two-tenths, and every third year three- 
tenths, was absolutely required to be given to the 
support of religion, before he made any other ap- 
propriation of his property ; and the prophet Ma- 
lachi expressly teaches us, that many of the evils 
which Israel endured, originated in their neglect 
to bring the tithes and offerings into the house of 
God. And besides the amount thus prescript- 
ively demanded, every honest, pious Israelite 
made voluntary offerings at the altar of his 
God. Christianity retains the principle, without 
prescribing the proportion, and makes its appeal 
to the vastly increased obligations of its free and 
spiritual economy. It is both dishonest and dan- 
gerous to withhold from Christ, that on which in 
the persons of his ministers and his poor members, 
He has an undoubted claim. This is the first 
claim on our property, and God will deal with us 
in the matter as we deal with Him. " There is 
that scattereth and yet increaseth ; there is that 
withholdeth more than is meet, and it tendeth to 
poverty." — The next claim is by Self. Honesty 



THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 165 

requires the frugal but not niggardly, the suitable 
but not extravagant enjoyment of the fruit of our 
labour. Solomon says, " He that laboureth, la- 
boureth for himself/' and Christ commands, " Ga- 
ther up the fragments that remain, that nothing 
be lost." — A third claim is put in by our Children. 
" The children should not lay up for the parents, 
but the parents for the children." " If any pro- 
vide not for his own, and especially for those of 
his own house, he has denied the faith, and is 
worse than an infidel." This claim extends to 
food, raiment, education, and trade or employment. 
— The next claim is by our remoter Relatives if 
they need our aid. " If any widow have children 
or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at 
home, and to requite their parents ; for that is 
good and acceptable before God." — And lastly, 
mankind in general. " Provide things honest in 
the sight of all men." <s As ye have therefore op- 
portunity, do good unto all men." 

Property is simply a trust ; and it is no further 
a blessing, than it is honestly employed according 
to the will of God. 

2. Honesty is to be viewed as it is exercised 
towards our neighbour. 

The rule of interpretation in all cases where our 
neighbour is concerned is this ; " All things what- 
soever ye would that men should do unto you, do 
ye even so unto them ; for this is the law and the 
prophets." This includes 

(1.) Satisfaction of his just claims on us. "Thus 
saith the Lord " Render therefore to all their 
dues ; tribute to whom tribute is due ; custom to 



166 THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 



whom custom ; fear to whom fear ; honour to 
whom honour/ ' Justice towards our neighbour's 
claims on us, should be full, satisfying those 
claims ; faithful, realizing all the circumstances of 
our engagements ; and, punctual, regarding the 
time of our appointments and obligations. Inca- 
pacity to satisfy the just claims of our neighbour, 
is always our sin, except when it is the result of 
providential circumstances over which we had no 
controul, or at least not such controul as was 
available to suspend their operation. In all such 
cases, the incapacity must be duly acknowledged, 
and all the satisfaction offered which can be given. 
Legal honesty requires no more than this ; but 
Christian honesty further demands, that if at any 
future period, Providence should furnish us with 
the means of making up the deficiency, it be ho- 
nourably and promptly supplied. 

(2.) Integrity in our transactions. It has been 
well remarked, " We should deal with God, as if 
the eyes of men were upon us ; and with men, as 
knowing that the eyes of God are upon us." A 
strict regard to truth, faithfulness, and righteous- 
ness, whether it be in bargains of buying and 
selling, or in matters of trust which are lodged 
with us ; and the most open and unequivocal sim- 
plicity and plainness, are essential to integrity. 
" Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle ? who 
shall dwell in thy holy hill ? He that walketh up- 
rightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh 
the truth in his heart. He that sweareth to his 
own hurt, and changeth not." " The grace of God 
that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 



THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT, 



167 



teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly 
lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and 
godly in this present world." 

(3.) Restitution. This has to do with things 
found, which are to be restored to their owners, 
and not concealed or kept. " Thou shalt not see 
thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray, and hide 
thyself from them ; thou shalt in any case bring 
them again unto thy brother. And if thy brother 
be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know him not, 
then thou shalt bring it unto thine own house, 
and it shall be with thee, until thy brother seek 
after it, and thou shalt restore it to him again. In 
like manner shalt thou do with his ass ; and so 
shalt thou do with his raiment ; and with all lost 
things of thy brother's, which he hath lost, and 
thou hast found, shalt thou do likewise ; thou 
mayest not hide thyself." — It relates also to Inju- 
ries, which are to be repaired to the full amount. 
The prophet Ezekiel mentions this as one of the 
signs of true repentance ; " If the wicked restore 
the pledge, give again that he had robbed," &c, 
"he shall surely live; he shall not die;" and 
Zaccheus thus evidenced the genuineness of his 
repentance, " If I have taken any thing from any 
man by false accusation, I restore him four-fold." 

(4.) Prevention of evil. If we do not prevent 
the evil, which we see coming upon our neigh- 
bour, when it is in our power to do so, it is the 
same thing as if we actually procured it to him. 
"Thou shalt not see thy brother's ass or ox fall 
down by the way, and hide thyself from them ; 
thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again." 



168 THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 

(5.) Charity to our neighbour's necessities. 
Our abundance should be a supply for his want, 
and his abundance a supply for our want, that 
there may be equality. Lending is often pro- 
nounced inexpedient ; and when honest principle 
does not exist in the borrower, may not be re- 
quired ; but the command of Christ is this ; "From 
him that would borrow of thee, turn not thou 
away." " Do gocd, and lend, hoping for nothing 
again ; and your reward shall be great." — To be 
able to "give" is the end at which honest labour 
is directed to aim ; " Let him that stole steal no 
more ; but rather let him labour, working with 
his hands the thing which is good, that he may 
have to give to him that needeth." 

III. Our next object is to expose the Dishonesty 
which the command forbids. — This includes ; — 

1. Common theft. 

By this is meant the seizing of our neighbour's 
property against his will, or without his know- 
ledge, and applying it to our own use, or other- 
wise disposing of it, without his consent. The 
thing taken may be very small, but "he that is 
unjust in the least is unjust also in much." It 
will not do to say that we intended to pay it back 
at another time ; the appropriation is the theft :— 
or, that it is of no value ; the question is, was it 
our own ? If not, however valueless to our neigh- 
bour, or apparently desirable to ourselves, we have 
no right to dispose of it. 

2. The reception of stolen goods. 

" Whoso is partaker with a thief, hateth his own 
soul." Amongst the crimes which God threatens 



THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 169 



to reprove, and set in order before the eyes of 
their perpetrators, is this, " When thou sawest a 
thief, then thou consentedst with him." 
3. Fraudulent dealing. 

"This is thewillof God/' "that no man go beyond 
and defraud his brother in any matter ; because that 
the Lord is the avenger of all such." To this spe- 
cies of dishonesty pertain False Weights and Mea- 
sures. "A false balance is an abomination to the 
Lord, but a just weight is his delight ;" and again, 
it is written, " Divers weights and divers measures 
are alike abomination to the Lord." — The removal 
of Land-marks. Solomon commands, " Remove 
not the old land- marks ; and enter not into the 
fields of the fatherless ; for their Redeemer is 
mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee." — 
Unjust inclosures and depopulations. "Woe to 
them that join house to house, that lay field to 
field, till there be no place, that they may be 
placed alone in the midst of the earth ;" and the 
condemnation of some is thus pronounced, "They 
covet fields, and take them by violence ; and 
houses, and take them away." — Unfaithfulness in 
Contracts. He obtaineth acceptance with God, 
who " sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth 
not." — Unfaithfulness in Trusts. "If ye have 
not been faithful in that which is another man's, 
who shall give you that which is your own?" — 
Exorbitant Charges. " He that getteth riches, 
and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of 
his days, and at the end shall be a fool." — Bribery. 
For thus it is written in the book of Job, "The 
congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and 
Q 



170 THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 

fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery/' — 
Unnecessary detention of that which belongs to 
others. " Withhold not good from him to whom 
it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to 
do it. Say not, Go, and come again, and to-mor- 
row I will give, when thou hast it by thee." The 
withholding of wages is thus condemned : " Be- 
hold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped 
down your fields, which is of you kept back by 
fraud, crieth ; and the cries of them which have 
reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of 
Sabaoth." — Contracting Debts which we have it 
not in our power to pay. " Provide things honest 
in the sight of all men." " Owe no man anything, 
but to love one another.' ' — All misrepresentation 
to enrich ourselves ; such as ascribing false quali- - 
ties to the articles we have to dispose of, and re- 
commending them beyond their real value, is 
fraudulent dealing. " The getting of treasures by 
a lying tongue, is a vanity tossed to and fro of 
them that seek death." The principle is the same, 
when the truth is concealed, though no misrepre- 
sentation be actually employed. — To these must 
be added, the depreciation of that which we pur- 
chase, in order to cheapen the price. " It is 
naught, it is naught, saith the buyer ; but when 
he goeth his way, he boasteth himself." 
4. Oppression. 

Such is slavery. " If thy brother be waxen 
poor and be sold unto thee, thou shalt not compel 
him to serve as a bond- servant." — Rigorous Ser- 
vice. " Thou shalt not rule over thy servant with 
rigour, but shalt fear God." — Extortion. " Woe 



THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 171 

unto you Scribes, and Pharisees, hypocrites, for 
ye make clean the outside of the cup and platter, 
but within they are full of extortion and excess." 
— Iniquitous Usury. " He that by usury and un- 
just gain increaseth his substance, shall gather it 
for him that will pity the poor." — Vexatious Law- 
suits. <£ Devise not evil against thy neighbour, 
seeing he dwelleth securely by thee." — Monopo- 
lies, and especially of Corn. " He that withhold - 
eth corn, the people shall curse him ; but blessing 
shall be upon the head of him that selleth it." 

5. Man- stealing. 

" Men-stealers" are classed by Paul with the 
ungodly for whom ' ' the law is made;" and 
" slaves" are enumerated among the articles of 
guilty merchandise for which the mystical Babylon 
is doomed to destruction. All aiders and abettors 
of the crime are of course involved in the guilt, 
and the adage is especially true here, "The re- 
ceiver is worse than the thief." 

6. Unlawful callings. 

Whatever is gained by these, is unjustly gotten. 
Some callings are unlawful in their nature ; such 
are the curious arts of magic, astrology, and for- 
tune-telling. Some are so in their tendency ; such 
are all pursuits which proceed on the mere system 
of speculation. Some are so, because they involve 
disobedience to the Divine commands ; such is the 
system of mere business travelling on the Sabbath 
day ; whether of men, to save time, or of goods, 
to enhance profit. 

7. Idleness. 

This is the parent of every vice, and the princi- 
q 2 * 



172 



THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 



pie is the dishonest one of living on the gain of 
others. If any "walk disorderly, working not at 
all," and "provide not for his own, he hath de- 
nied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." 

8. Prodigality. 

This consists in an extravagant expenditure be- 
yond our real means ; beyond what is consistent 
with the claims which may justly be made on us. 
It is plainly unjust in principle, and carries its 
condemnation along with it. " He that loveth 
pleasure shall be a poor man ; he that loveth wine 
and oil shall not be rich." 

9. Gaming. 

In all its forms and branches, Gaming is disho- 
nest. It not only tempts Providence, and thereby 
breaks the third commandment, but it is unjust in 
principle, for it stakes a certainty for an uncer- 
tainty ; and it is unjust to society, for it is calcu- 
lated only to injure and defraud. The Cheating 
is an additional aggravation. 

10. Contraband trade. 

Smugglers, and the purchasers of contraband 
goods, alike act dishonestly towards the fair trader ; 
and both transgress the command, " Let every 
soul be subject to the higher powers." 

11. Refusal to enjoy the comforts of life. 

u A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, 
and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his 
soul of all that he desireth," but who will not eat 
thereof, is dishonest to himself. ' 1 This is vanity, 
and an evil disease." 

12. Listening to temptations to steal. 

If a man say, I am alone, no one will see it ; — 



THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 173 

I am poor, I greatly need it ; — I have full oppor- 
tunity, for here is abundance : — The thing is small, 
no one will care for it ; — the difficulty of detection 
would be great, for no direct proof could be ad- 
duced, — he has stolen already in his heart. 

" This is the curse that goeth forth over the 
whole earth ; for every one that stealeth shall be 
cut off according to it. I will bring it forth, saith 
the Lord of Hosts, and it shall enter into the house 
of the thief." " Consider this, ye that forget God ; 
lest he tear you in pieces, and there be none to 
deliver." 



Q 3 



THE NINTH COMMANDMENT. 



Exodus xx. 16. 
" Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour." 

We have now before us the Law of Conversation. 
It assumes the interesting fact, that the Lord is 
a God of Truth, and requires truth among men. 
Truth in God is perfect. All his conceptions are 
in accordance with the real state of things ; all 
his statements, promises, and threatenings are 
the sincere declarations of truth, and of his in- 
tentions and determinations ; and the history of 
his government does now to a great extent, and 
will at length universally prove that he is faithful 
in all things. Truth is the essential basis of 
human intercourse. Without this there can be 
no confidence between men in any of their trans- 
actions and pursuits ; it is essential to both the 
order and happiness of society. 

Truth is of three kinds : Natural Truth, or the 
agreement between the conceptions of the mind 
and the reality of things ; — Moral Truth, or the 
agreement between the thoughts of the mind, 
and the words of the lips ; — and Practical Truth, 
or the agreement between the words of the lips 



THE NINTH COMMANDMENT. 175 

and the actions of the life. We shall endeavour 
to expound the commandment under these three 
divisions. 

I. Natural Truth, which consists in correct 
knowledge, whether it be of abstract sentiments, 
or of positive facts. This command enjoins the 
pursuit of it, and forbids all transgressions against 
it. 

1 . It enjoins the pursuit of it ; for true state- 
ments cannot be made respecting either senti- 
ments or facts, unless the truth be known. As 
it is plainly our duty to furnish correct or true 
statements, it must be equally our duty to obtain 
correct knowledge of those sentiments and facts 
on which we are required to speak. This coinci- 
dence between our sentiments, and the reality of 
things, is essential to our own satisfaction irre- 
spective of all intercourse, and is of paramount 
importance as it regards the moral tendency of 
what we say. It involves the happiness of the 
circle in which we move, and is closely connected 
with the honour of God. The injunction re- 
quires ; — 

The use of proper means to ascertain the truth. 
If the fairness, openness, and undisguised candour 
of intercourse be our object, we must seek the 
knowledge of the truth, by fair, open, and candid 
means. If Divine sentiments be the object to 
which our attention is directed, the truth is to 
be sought, not in creeds of human compilation, in 
formularies of human invention, in articles of 
human selection, or in assertions of human elo- 
quence, but in the statements of Divine Reve- 



176 THE NINTH COMMANDMENT. 

lation, where God himself has shed his own light 
around us, that in his light we may see light. 
Who would use a lantern, that can walk in the 
light of the sun ? Who would drink of the 
polluted stream, that can partake of the clear 
and springing fountain ? Who would consult men 
that can listen to the voice of God ? — If human 
sentiments be inquired into, they are to be sought 
at the first hand ; from the living lip, or the 
written productions of the parties. For want of 
attention to this obvious duty, misrepresentations 
of human opinions abound on every hand, and 
often, alas ! obtrude themselves into the sacred 
desk, and destroy the unity of the Church of 
Christ. — If matters of fact be the objects of in- 
quiry, the parties involved, if we can gain access 
to them, should be first applied to. Eye or ear 
witnesses, if such there be, should next be inquired 
of. Reports at second or third hand are generally 
untrue, and will never be made by a man of 
truth the basis of opinion or statement. The idle 
gossiping from house to house, in which some 
contrive to squander so large a portion of infinitely 
valuable time, originates many a false impression ; 
and, attempts to ascertain facts by sly and concealed 
inquiries, by listening to tales, or sifting parties 
who are supposed to have an indirect acquaint- 
ance with the case in point, are opposed to candour 
and prejudicial to truth. 

Right motives are also necessary to the right 
pursuit of truth. The knowledge of Divine truth 
should be sought for its own sake ; all motives 
are defective, and therefore guilty, which do not 



THE NINTH COMMANDMENT. 177 

aim at the Divine glory, and our personal sal- 
vation. Inferior motives warp the mind, bias the 
judgment, and tend to pervert the truth. — In 
endeavouring to ascertain human sentiments, sim- 
plicity of mind, right of inquiry, and purity of 
intention as to the use of the knowledge, are 
indispensable. — In reference to matters of fact, 
the idle curiosity, the unfriendly feeling, and the 
undue partiality which so often operate, are so 
many deviations from right motives. 

2. It forbids all transgressions against Natural 
Truth.— 

Our views and impressions may be false through 
wilful ignorance. If they who are voluntarily 
blind and deaf were dumb also, the mischief 
would be confined to themselves. But as they 
choose to speak, their ignorance is their sin. 

False estimates of ourselves are inconsistent 
with the spirit of this command. Self-knowledge 
is difficult of attainment, but the cultivation of it 
should not therefore be neglected. Some under- 
rate themselves ; but with the greater part, the 
contrary is the fact ; " they think of themselves 
more highly than they ought to think and they 
speak and act accordingly. Query ? Is not the 
forwardness of some professing Christians to tell 
of their inward conflicts and outward trials ; 
the sacrifices they have made, and the duties 
they have performed, a breach of the law of 
truth ? 

Indolence in the attainment of religious truth 
is a transgression of this command. Where the 
means of knowledge are neglected error is sinful. 



178 THE NINTH COMMANDMENT. 

God has promised to aid by his Spirit all sincere 
endeavours to know his will, but idleness tendeth 
only to poverty in spiritual as well as in secular 
pursuits. 

Judging the conduct of others from mere ap- 
pearances is another breach of truth. We cannot 
see the conscience and the heart ; " who art thou 
that judgest another man's servant ?" A striking 
instance of this folly occurred in the island of 
Melita when Paul was shipwrecked : "A viper 
came out of the heat, and fastened on his hand. 
And they said, No doubt this man is a murderer, 
whom though he hath escaped the sea, yet ven- 
geance sufFereth not to live." 

The imputation on slight grounds of motives 
to individuals, is as arrogant as it is common ; 
and nothing is more false in principle. For if 
it should happen that our guess is right, it is but 
a guess ; it proceeds on no stable foundation, and 
is guilty as a breach of this commandment. 

Hypocrisy of conduct in order to deceive is one 
of the most foul and hideous transgressions of the 
whole law ; but it is a direct breach of the law of 
truth. 

II. The second kind of truth is Moral Truth, or 
the agreement between the words of the lips and 
the thoughts of the heart. This also is regulated 
by the ninth commandment. 

1. It requires veracity, or the speaking of 
truth. 

If we speak of Divine Truth, we should be 
firmly persuaded on due examination and evidence, 
that we speak " according to the oracles of God," 



THE NINTH COMMANDMENT . 



179 



and utter " the mind of the Spirit* ' in the Scrip- 
tures. Unstudied pulpit discourses are in great 
danger of error in this particular. Fanciful in- 
terpretations of God's word are almost sure to 
overlook the truth ; and the practice of applying 
texts diversely from the spirit of their design in 
the connexion in which they stand, wilfully per- 
verts the truth. All conversation on Divine subjects 
should display the deference of profound submis- 
sion to inspired authority, and the most scrupulous 
care to speak only on conviction of truth. — In 
speaking of the opinions of men, we must state 
them as we verily believe them to be, without 
colouring, or any attempt to warp the judgment 
of others, either through partiality or prejudice. 
If we are ignorant, we should confess ourselves 
to be so. — In stating facts, any thing but Truth 
is inexcusable. — If we speak of ourselves, it should 
always be in measured accents of sober truth ; 
and if of others, in guarded expressions of unim- 
peachable veracity. 

More particularly this command requires that 
we speak the truth whenever we speak. " Putting 
away lying, speak every man truth with his 
neighbour ; for we are members one of another 
— that we never speak any thing but the truth, 
for " lying lips are an abomination to the Lord," 
and falsehood is not less abominable for being 
mixed up with a portion of truth ; — that we speak 
the whole truth when it ought to be spoken ; 
fully, without concealment ; freely, without fear ; 
clearly, without mincing or obscuring it ; and sin- 
| cerely, without any malice or partiality. " Sa- 



180 THE NINTH COMMANDMENT. 

muel told Eli every whit, and hid nothing from 
him," although the message was one full of evil 
tidings ; and the guilt of disregard .to this circum- 
stance is most afFectingly illustrated in the case 
of Ananias and Sapphira. They spoke the truth, 
hut not the whole truth, and this, under circum- 
stances which required that the whole truth 
should be spoken : — that we speak the truth after 
a proper manner. At proper times : for there is 
" a time to be silent," as well as a " time to 
speak ;" and Solomon says, - ■ Wisdom resteth in 
the heart of him that hath understanding, but that 
which is in the midst of fools is made known." 
The truth spoken must be proper to be spoken ; 
not secrets ; for thus saith the Lord, " Discover 
not a secret to another ; lest he that heareth it 
put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not 
away." Truth must be spoken in a proper 
spirit; not maliciously, as Doeg informed Saul 
of David's visit to Abimelech; but kindly, as 
Paul's sister's son informed the Governor of the 
plot of the Jews to ensnare him, and destroy 
Paul. It must be spoken too in proper language, 
and for proper ends. The language must be that 
of sobriety and purity, and the ends those of 
Christian charity, or social piety, or public utility. 

2. It forbids Lying, Perjury, and Slander. 

Lying, in all its forms, is forbidden by this 
precept. Unfounded statements are lies. If we 
speak that which we know to be untrue, or 
repeat that which we suppose may be false, or 
utter any thing with an intention to deceive, or 
make a statement on any point without due 



THE NINTH COMMANDMENT. 181 

examination, we break this commandment. — 
Partial statements are lies, if the case require 
that our neighbour should be put in possession of 
the whole truth, in order to form a full and cor- 
rect judgment of it. To withhold part of the 
truth is to practise on him a foul deception, and 
to entail on ourselves the full guilt of all the 
errors into which he may in consequence be led. 
His omission to ask the necessary information is 
no palliation of our guilt in neglecting to impart 
it. Exaggerated statements are lies. Such are 
all additions to the naked truth ; — all highly 
wrought and coloured views of the truth; — and 
all boasting pretensions, whether to superior 
origin, or great connexions, or personal acqiusi- 
tions, or relative influence, or proposed perform- 
ances. — Misstatements are lies; i.e. when our 
words intentionally do not convey our meaning. — • 
Evasive and equivocating statements are lies. 
This was the sin of Abraham and Isaac in calling 
their wives their sisters ; and of Ananias and 
Sapphira in speaking of the price for which they 
sold the land. Of this class of lies are the 
fashionable evasions of the day : — * Not at home/ 
instead of 6 Not at liberty/ or, ' I don't choose to 
appear / ' Engaged/ instead of ' I won't come / 
* I don't see company/ instead of, * I do not 
choose to see you/ &c. To employ servants as 
the medium of this lying, is a high aggravation 
of its guilt, and their consenting to be so em- 
ployed, is a virtual participation in the sin. No 
truly conscientious domestic would ever allow 
herself to act so base a part. — Misrepresentations 

R 



182 



THE NINTH COMMANDMENT. 



are lies ; whether of Sacred Truth, which are 
often made by the wicked to prejudice others 
against it ; or of human sentiments, which are 
sometimes given in overheated zeal ; or of human 
testimony, as a false witness perverts that which 
has been spoken to serve a party ; or of facts, 
which are daily set forth in opposite lights as the 
inclinations and caprices of men dictate. — Pleas of 
ignorance are another species of lies ; they are 
constantly adopted to get rid of our neighbour's 
importunity when we are actually in possession of 
all the facts which are inquired after. — False pro- 
fessions of kindness and esteem are lies. Civility 
is one thing, fit to be professed, and practised by 
all, and it is required by the law of God towards 
all with whom we are called to associate ; but 
professions of distinguishing respect and esteem 
are another thing, which, when not genuine, but 
designed merely to gratify and please, are a 
flagrant disregard to truth. — All flattery is down- 
right lying ; whether of a living man to his face, 
or couched in extravagant eulogy of the absent, 
or employed to delineate the character of the 
dead, or garnish the sepulchres of the righteous. 
— Mental reservation is a breach of truth; for 
one thing is thought in the heart, and another is 
expressed by the tongue. The plea that Sub- 
scription is a mere matter of course, and that 
oaths are the mere formalities of legal security or 
commercial transactions, will not bear the light. 
If the requirement of them be evil, the acquies- 
cence is not less so. — Jesting partakes of the 
nature of lying. It is in the very nature of wit 



THE NINTH COMMANDMENT. 183 

to pun upon the truth, or present a double mean- 
ing. Besides, all do not know that we jest, and 
some may think us serious when we are alto- 
gether otherwise ; and those who know us best 
will not always know when we are in earnest and 
when we trifle. Paul says, "Jesting is not con- 
venient/ ' and ranks it with those things which 
do not become the saints. — Harsh censures are 
almost sure to be false, to a certain degree, for 
they proceed from a bad spirit. — The employment 
of arguments which we know to be defective, is 
another species of lying. It is an attempt to 
conceal the truth, or to enfeeble its influence, 
or to make the worse appear the better reason, 
Even in friendly controversy, the practice of 
arguing on the wrong side is of very doubtful 
character.— Deception under the notion of a good 
end is another breach of moral truth. The prac- 
tice of it in cases of illness, is nothing less than 
a presumptuous appeal to the Providence of God, 
and this to sanction our doing evil that good may 
come ; and is often the most refined cruelty to 
the sufferer, who is deluded thereby on the 
very threshold of eternity. — Works of Fiction 
invade the rights of moral truth. Imagination 
usurps the place of the judgment, and men 
learn to live in the airy regions of fancy instead 
of mingling with the sober realities of life. This 
is true, even when no open vice is patronized, 
when no sneer is indulged at the sacred truth of 
God, nor any ridicule poured on the efforts of 
pious zeal. Religious novels are but novels still, 
r 2 



184 THE NINTH COMMANDMENT. 

and their practical tendency is to foster crude con- 
ceptions of Divine truth, and a low tone of spiri- 
tual character. The good they effect is blazoned 
over the land, but the mischief they do, will be 
unknown until " the secrets of all hearts are 
made manifest." 

Perjury is also forbidden by this law. In 
judicial proceedings, truth should make its most 
solemn appearances. All departure from it in 
courts and processes of law is here forbidden ; 
whether by the Judges, who must not pass unjust 
sentences, for " he that condemneth the right- 
eous, and he that justifieth the wicked are both an 
abomination to the Lord;" — by the Jury, who 
must not adopt a false decision. The law requir- 
ing unanimity of opinion on a case, is itself a vile 
infringement of the law of truth, and its altera- 
tion ought to be perseveringly sought by all who 
love the law of God, and desire the right adminis- 
tration of justice amongst men : — by the Corn- 
plainer (the Plaintiff or Relater in a suit); who 
must not falsely accuse his neighbour by forging 
a lie against him, or suborning false witnesses, or 
in any way prejudicing his character, or seeking 
occasion against his estate : — by the Defender, 
who cannot innocently, before God, plead " Not 
Guilty," when he knows in his heart that the 
charge against him is true : — by the Witnesses, 
who are bound by a solemn oath to speak the 
truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the 
truth : — by the Pleaders, who have no moral right 
to take up an unjust cause, knowing it to be 



THE NINTH COMMANDMENT. 



185 



such, and still less to plead against the interests 
of truth and righteousness, to please a client and 
enrich themselves. 

The command prohibits slander. We are not 
to slander ourselves. Some will accuse themselves 
of wickedness which they never committed, simply 
for the pleasure they have in boasting of mischief, 
and to gain the applause of their associates in 
crime. Some trumpet their own praise, and 
thereby betray their own folly ; and some slander 
themselves under pretext of humility, and this is 
the vilest of all. — But especially, we are forbidden 
to slander others. This may be done by unfounded 
assumptions. We surmise that things are so, and 
then assert it. We conclude that such are men's 
motives, and then ascribe them to them. — Slander 
consists also in careless misconstructions. No in- 
nocence is safe against that temper which is al- 
ways ready to give the worst turn to the words 
and actions of men, which they are capable to 
bear. — Unnecessary exposures are slander. " Cha- 
rity covereth a multitude of sins." — Uncharitable 
aggravations are slander. An action may be bad. 
A statement of the truth may be necessary ; but 
the aggravation of the evil by sly insinuations and 
unkind suspicions, is slander. — Of the same cast 
are illegitimate detractions ; in which we withhold 
from our neighbour the praise that is his due. — 
Some are guilty of slander by the resurrection of 
forgotten circumstances ; — by tale-bearing ; — by 
mean listening to idle rumours ; — by a ready re- 
petition of evil reports ; — by sly backbitings and 
whisperings ; —by disadvantageous reflections; — 
r 3 



186 THE NINTH COMMANDMENT. 

by unperceived insinuations ; — by publishing ca- 
lumnies in books ; all are forbidden as malignant 
breaches of truth. 

III. This command requires also practical truth, 
or a full correspondence between the words of the 
lips and the actions of the life. 

Truth requires, that we promise that only which 
we intend to perform, and is violated when we fail 
to fulfil our promises. If, indeed, we are led to 
view our promises and engagements as sinful, it is 
right to repent of them and break them : it had 
been a far more holy thing for Herod to have 
broken his pledge, than to have fulfilled it when 
he found it involved him in the guilt of murder. 
If God should, by His Providence, render us una- 
ble to fulfil our intentions, there is no breach of 
practical truth in the neglect of them; and our 
promises are lawfully void, if they are made on 
the supposition of certain existing circumstances, 
in which we are deceived. In all other cases, we 
are bound to fulfil our engagements. " He that 
sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not," 
" shall never be moved. " 

It is equally necessary, that we promise only 
that which we are able to perform. Otherwise, 
we offend against moral truth in making the pro- 
mise, and against practical truth in the breach of 
it. Promissory Notes, drawn in the mere hope of 
having means to meet the claim at the time when 
it becomes due, are breaches of practical truth 
which are a daily disgrace to British commercial 
enterprize. They are nothing better than forgeries, 
and have all the moral guilt. 



THE NINTH COMMANDMENT. 187 



The following are a few instances in which the 
importance of practical truth is very apparent. In 
the treatment of children. Scarcely is there any 
thing by which the legitimate influence of parents 
and teachers is more certainly sacrificed, than by 
carelessly promising or threatening what is never 
meant to be performed. Children justly expect to 
be treated with truth. — In the fulfilling of engage- 
ments, punctuality, as to time and^ place, is es- 
sential to truth. How many are guilty, in this 
respect, in their attendance on the public worship 
of God ! — In the discharge of obligations. Debts 
are not always avoidable, but truth should be dis- 
played in the time and circumstances of payment. 
— In the consistency of professions, and especially 
in religion. In common life, sincerity is invaluable 
in this respect, and affected manners are living 
falsehoods ; but how much more guilty is insin- 
cerity in religion ! Hypocrisy towards God is the 
vilest of all falsehood. — In the performance of 
pious vows. " Every man according as he pur- 
poseth in his heart, so let him give." " Vow and 
pay unto the Lord thy God. It is better not to 
vow, than to vow and not pay." 



r 4 



THE TENTH COMMANDMENT. 



Exodus xx. 17. 

" Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt 
not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his man-servant, nor 
his maid- servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing 
that is thy neighbour's." 

Our attention is now called to that part of the 
law of God which proposes to regulate the feelings 
and desires of the heart, so that as exercised to- 
wards our neighbour, they shall not be offensive 
to either safety or purity, equity or kindness. 
Thus does the law itself, in the very letter of it, 
rebuke the folly of those who imagine, that it takes 
cognizance only of outward acts. It reacheth to 
the thoughts and intents of the heart ; and 
whilst it forbids all inordinate desires towards 
our neighbour, and that which is his, requires 
such a state of mind as is prepared to obey this 
command. 

I. Our first object will, therefore, be to depict 
the frame of mind which it requires. To fulfil 
this command, we must cultivate, 

1. Holy indifference respecting worldly good. 

Total indifference about worldly good, in the en- 



THE TENTH COMMANDMENT. 189 

joyment of which we may be respectable, useful, 
and happy, is sinful. So far from being totally 
indifferent, we are commanded to labour with our 
hands, to acquire that which is good; — to " pro- 
vide things honest in the sight of all men — " to 
do good and to communicate/' which implies, that 
we have means beyond what is sufficient to main- 
tain ourselves. The careless indifference which 
some affect on this point, is just as unholy as it is 
unnatural. That which is required is, a holy in- 
difference respecting that particular measure of 
worldly good which falls to our share. It is op- 
posed to a fretful, covetous, anxious concern about 
it. We must not set our hearts upon it, but be 
thoroughly weaned from it. It is thus enjoined, 
<c If riches increase, set not your heart upon them;" 
— " Let not the rich man glory in his riches ;" — 
" Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteous- 
ness, and all these things shall be added unto you;" 
— " Set your affections on things above, not on 
things on the earth ;" — " If any man come unto 
me, and hate not his father and mother, and wife 
and children, and brothers and sisters, yea, and 
his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." — It 
is thus described : " Brethren, the time is short ; 
it remaineth that both they that have wives, be as 
though they had none ; and they that weep, as 
though they wept not ; and they that rejoice, as 
though they rejoiced not ; and they that buy, as 
though they possessed not ; and they that use this 
world, as not abusing it ; for the fashion of this 
world passeth away." — David thus describes him- 
self, as under its influence : " Surely, I have be- 



190 THE TENTH COMMANDMENT. 

haved and quieted myself as a child that is weaned 
of its mother ; my soul is even as a weaned child ;" 
and his history presents us with one of the most 
instructive instances of it. When he fled from the 
face of Absalom, he said unto Zadok, " Carry 
back the ark of God into the city ; if I shall find 
favour in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me 
again, and shew me both it, and his habitation. 
But if he thus say, I have no delight in thee ; be- 
hold, here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good 
unto him." 

2. Full contentment with our own lot. 

" Every one is to look at his condition, as 
the paradise that God has set him down in ; and 
though it be planted with thorns and briers, he 
must not look over the hedge ; for thus it is writ- 
ten, " Thou shalt not co^et." Though that which 
is wanting in our lot cannot be numbered, and 
that which is crooked cannot be made straight, 
yet none of these things must render us uneasy 
and discontented. True Contentment requires, 
the hearty renunciation of our own will. " Should 
it be according to thy mind ?" A contented mind 
will say, with the great Pattern of holiness, " Not 
my will, but thine be done." Our own will is to 
be renounced, both as to the kind and measure of 
comforts that God gives ; not coveting the fruit 
which he withholds or prohibits, but saying, with 
Paul, " Having food and raiment, let us therewith 
be content." To indulge our own will, is to ex- 
pose ourselves to the doom of Israel, to whom 
God gave their hearts' desire in his wrath, and 
destroyed them in the verv enjovment of it. "Thev 

1 



THE TENTH COMMANDMENT. 



191 



that will be rich, fall into temptation and a snare, 
and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which 
drown men in destruction and perdition." — Con- 
tentment also implies, sincere acquiescence in the 
Will of God. David says, "Thou shalt choose 
our inheritance for us and Christ commands, 
f'< If any man will come after me, let him deny 
himself, and take up his cross and follow me." 
We must submit to His will as just, without com- 
plaining ; Micah said, " I will bear the indignation 
of the Lord, because I have sinned against him :" 
— quietly, without murmuring, as Job, who, in all 
his afflictions, did not " charge God foolishly :" — 
with satisfaction and confidence ; saying, with 
Habakkuk, " Although the fig-tree shall not blos- 
som, neither shall fruit be in the vines ; the labour 
of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no 
meat ; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and 
there shall be no herd in the stalls ; yet I will re- 
joice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my sal- 
vation." — Contentment still further implies, a 
complacency in our own condition, as that which 
is good and best, without desiring any change, 
but according to his will. Job displayed this 
complacency when he said, " The Lord gave, and 
the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name 
of the Lord." — Aaron displayed it, when " he held 
his peace" at the stroke of the Lord ; — Hezekiah, 
when he said, " Good is the word of the Lord;" 
— and Paul, when he exclaimed, " I take pleasure 
in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in per- 
secutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake." 
3. Moderation in all earthly enjoyments. 



192 THE TENTH COMMANDMENT. 

Thus we are commanded : " Let your modera- 
tion be known unto all men ; the Lord is at hand ;" 
— near, as to his presence, observing alike the use 
and the abuse of his providential distributions ; — 
near, as to his government to bless the temperate 
enjoyment of his favours with new supplies; — 
near, as to his coming to judgment, to " render to 
every man according to his works," 

4. A charitable temper towards our neighbour, 
and all that is his. 

This includes, love to his person : "Be kindly 
affectioned one to another with brotherly love 
" He that loveth another, hath fulfilled the law :" 
— Respect and esteem for his relatives and con- 
nections, because they are his ; — an upright regard 
to his property, for his sake ; — a hearty desire of 
his welfare and prosperity, in all his pursuits, and 
this, however he may have injured or ill-treated 
us ; the Saviour's command is, " Love your ene- 
mies, bless them that curse you, do good to them 
that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully 
use you and persecute you." A cordial delight in 
his welfare and sympathy with his distresses ; "Re- 
joice with them that do rejoice, and weep with 
them that weep :" — a tender solicitude over his 
reputation and character ; " Speak evil of no man ;" 
— and a readiness to distribute to his necessities ; 
"Whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his 
brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of 
compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of 
God in him ?" 

II. Having endeavoured to sketch the state of 
mind which this precept requires as the basis of 



THE TENTH COMMANDMENT. 



1.93 



obedience to its injunctions, we proceed to specify 
some of the instances in which it is broken . 

1 . Discontent with our own estate, is a breach 
of this law. 

This is seen in insubordination to the authority 
of God ; as Pharaoh would not hear his voice, to 
let Israel go ; he coveted the perpetuity of their 
services : — -in the vexation of disappointed pur- 
pose ; as Ahab went home to his house heavy and 
displeased, because Naboth would not give him 
the inheritance of his fathers, which he coveted : 
— in fretful anger ; as Jonah said, " it is better 
for me to die than to live," he desired the over- 
throw of the Ninevites : — in mortified pride ; as 
Haman said, " All this availeth me nothing, so 
long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's 
gate he desired the destruction of the Jews : — 
in inordinate attachment to the creatures, or to 
worldly good ; as Jonah grieved over the gourd, 
which sprang iip in a night, and perished in a 
night ; he was anxious to enjoy its continued shel- 
ter : — in unbelief ; as Cain was wroth, and his 
countenance fell ; he coveted acceptance, but would 
have it in his own way : — in ingratitude ; as He- 
zekiah rendered not unto the Lord according to 
the benefit done unto him, for his heart was 
lifted up. 

2. Disquietude at the good estate of our neigh- 
bour, is a further breach of this law. 

This sometimes appears in sorrow and grief at 
his temporal prosperity ; which seems to have been 
the feeling of Laban's sons towards Jacob, when 
they said, 4 'Jacob hath taken away all that was 



194 THE TENTH COMMANDMENT. 

our father's ; and of that which was our father's, 
hath he gotten all this glory." — It appears, also, 
in contemptuous anger at official superiority ; 
this was the feeling of Korah and his company 
towards Moses and Aaron, "Ye take too much 
upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, 
every one of them, and the Lord is among them : 
wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the 
congregation of the Lord ?" — Envy is another 
species of this disquietude. Joseph's brethren 
were envious at his enjoyment of their father's 
favour ; and they sold him into Egypt. — Ambition 
of the honour of our neighbour, is another exhibi- 
tion of this disquietude. Absalom was guilty 
here, when he desired the honour and throne of 
his father David. 

3. Inordinate desire of that which is our neigh- 
bour's, is, under all circumstances, and in all its 
varieties, forbidden by this command. 

Desires may be inordinate as to their object, 
when they have respect to unlawful things ; that 
which is absolutely forbidden us, we may in no 
way desire : " Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's 
wife." Or ; though the things desired may be 
lawful, as a house, or a servant, or an ox, the de- 
sire may be unlawful as to the end at which it 
aims ; "Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask 
amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." 
Or, desires may be inordinate, as to the means by 
which they seek to be gratified ; for lawful enjoy- 
ments must not be sought by unlawful means. 
Or, they may be so as to the degree of their in- 
dulgence. Prudent care may be justified, and holy 



THE TENTH COMMANDMENT. 



195 



desires indulged; but wearing anxiety, and en- 
vious wishes, are condemned. 

There are " divers lusts," which they indulge 
who " live in malice and envy;" — there are "fleshly 
lusts," which war against the soul; " the lust of 
the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of 
life ;" — there are spiritual lusts, or evil " desires 
of the mind," which they fulfil who walk " accord- 
ing to the course of this world, according to the 
prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now 
worketh in the children of disobedience ;" — there 
are " deceitful lusts," which constitute the corrup- 
tion of " the old man ;" — there are " foolish and 
hurtful lusts," which, by grasping at worldly 
gain, " drown men in destruction and perdi- 
tion ;" — there are " youthful lusts," opposed to 
"righteousness, faith, charity, peace;" — there are 
"worldly lusts," which have nothing of heaven 
in them; — there are "ungodly lusts," which have 
nothing of piety in them ; — there are warring and 
fighting lusts, which engender strifes ; — there are 
insatiable lusts ; eyes which are not satisfied with 
seeing, ears which are not satisfied with hearing, 
greedy consumers, which never say, It is enough ; 
all these are forbidden by Him who says, " Thou 
shalt not covet." 

The guilt of strong desire is sufficiently appa- 
rent. Its source is pride and selfishness ; a cor- 
rupt and rebellious heart. Its spirit charges God 
with folly, injustice, and cruelty. It is the foun- 
tain or spring of all actual transgressions; " when 
lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin, and sin 
when it is finished, bringeth forth death." 



CONCLUSION. 



Such is the law of God. So much of its spi- 
rituality and extent our feeble understandings can 
perceive. But " the commandment is exceeding 
broad," and capable of detecting sin, where we 
have never discovered even a single trace of it. 
No man dares to plead that he has fulfilled the 
law. Every man confesses himself a sinner, when 
he is tried by this test. But every man does not 
so readily perceive that the law cannot justify him 
before God, and that he is shut up by the law of 
God, to the faith of the Gospel, without any alter- 
native but everlasting death. Ponder, then, the 
following important considerations. 

1 . The condemnation which disobedience to the 
law involves. Its sentence is, " The soul that sin- 
neth shall die ;" and, " he that offendeth in one 
point, is guilty of all." But what is this penalty? 
It is an " everlasting destruction from the presence 
of the Lord, and from the glory of his power ;" in 
that place of "outer darkness," where there is 
"weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth;" 
" where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not 
quenched." " Who among us shall dwell with 
the devouring fire ? who among us shall dwell with 
everlasting burnings ?" 



CONCLUSION. 



197 



2. The impossibility of justification by the law. 
The law is broken. Every sinner confesses his 
guilt under the law ; how shall he then live by it ? 
Its sentence cannot be rescinded, unless its claims 
can be satisfied ; and its condemning curse is of 
the most stern and sweeping character. " Cursed 
is every man that continueth not in all things 
which are written in the book of the law to do 
them." The government of God is perfect. All 
His claims are just and unalterable ; and this is 
His language on this point : " What things soever 
the law saith, it saith to them who are under the 
law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all 
the world may become guilty before God. There- 
fore, by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh 
be justified in his sight; for by the law is the 
knowledge of sin." " If there had been a law 
given which could have given life, verily right- 
eousness should have been by the law. But the 
Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the 
promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given 
to them that believe." 

3. Consider the supreme prerogative of God to 
appoint the terms of life. Pressed with the bur- 
den of their guilt, men are full of devices as to the 
method ol deliverance. One, hopes that his par- 
tial obedience will avail; another, relies on his 
repentance ; a third, on his deeds of charity ; a 
fourth, on his pious descent ; a fifth, on his reli- 
gious profession ; a sixth, on his worldly reputa- 
tion ; a seventh, on his bodily sufferings ; and 
others, again, on the mercy of God, viewed simply 
as mercy. But it does not occur to them to 

s 



198 



CONCLUSION. 



ask, Has God promised life on these terms ? 
There may be many devices in a man's heart; 
but he is in the hands of God who may justly 
condemn him, and whose sole prerogative it is to 
say whether he will shew mercy, and if he will, 
on what terms. He alone knows the desert of 
sin, and consequently on what ground alone it 
can be forgiven. 

4. Hear then the word of the Lord ; and mark 
the exclusive claims of the Gospel of Christ. <f But 
now the righteousness of God without the law is 
manifested, being witnessed by the law and the 
prophets ; even the righteousness of God which 
is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all 
them that believe : for there is no difference : 
for all have sinned, and come short of the glory 
of God; being justified freely by his grace through 
the redemption that is in Christ Jesus : whom 
God hath set forth to be a propitiation through 
faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for 
the remission of sins that are past, through the 
forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this 
time his righteousness : that he might be just, 
and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." 
" Neither is there salvation in any other: for 
there is none other name under heaven given 
among men, whereby we must be saved." " He 
that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life : 
and he that believeth not the Son shall not see 
life ; but the wrath of God abideth on him." 
' ' Be it known unto you, therefore, men and 
brethren, that through this man is preached unto 
vou the forgiveness of sins : and by him all that 
13 



CONCLUSION. 



199 



believe are justified from all things, from which 
ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. 
Beware, therefore, lest that come upon you, which 
is spoken of in the prophets ; behold ye despisers, 
and wonder, and perish : for I work a work in 
your days, a work ye shall in no wise believe, 
though a man declare it unto you." 

5. "Do ye now believe?" Then, forget not 
that the law of God is to you " the mark for the 
prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus ;" 
and that after the example of Paul and in his 
spirit, you are bound to " press toward" it. To 
exhibit in the world a holy conformity to its 
precepts is to tread in the steps of the Lord 
Jesus, to commend his claims to those who still 
refuse to submit themselves unto him, to purchase 
unto yourselves " a good degree, and great bold- 
ness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus," and 
to secure unto yourselves " the testimony of a 
good conscience," and the supports of an immortal 
hope. ft Blessed is every one that feareth the 
Lord ; that walketh in his ways." 



THE END. 



A. G. HARDY, PRINTER, 
PLEAS ANT- ROW, ISLINGTON. 



